Belgian Grand Prix: Leclerc Secures Pole Position, Verstappen Penalized

Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez are set to start on the front row for the Belgian Grand Prix due to Max Verstappen’s grid penalty. Verstappen, who was initially the fastest in a wet qualifying session, has incurred a 10-grid place penalty for exceeding the engine limit for the season. As a result, the reigning world champion will have to start from the 11th position, creating an opportunity for Leclerc and Perez to lead the pack.

This scenario marks only the second time this year that Leclerc has secured pole position. His impressive performance allowed him to outpace Perez by a mere 0.011 seconds. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, who narrowly missed out by less than a tenth of a second, is slated to start from third place.

Lando Norris, aiming to capitalize on Verstappen’s penalty, qualified fifth but will move up to the fourth position on the grid. However, he will face competition from Oscar Piastri and George Russell, who will start behind him.

Although Norris is 76 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ championship, he remains optimistic about his chances for victory, despite the need to overtake three cars in order to secure his second career win.

In an unexpected turn of events, there were no red flags in the wet qualifying, and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz managed to secure the eighth position, followed by Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin and Esteban Ocon from Alpine.

McLaren had demonstrated strong performance potential in the dry conditions but were unable to match Verstappen’s pace in the wet weather. The challenging conditions catapulted Verstappen to second place in Q1, first in Q2, and over half a second quicker than his competitors during his first run in Q3.

Sergio Perez initially claimed the second position, while Leclerc delivered an exceptional last-minute lap, snatching pole position from the under-pressure Mexican driver. Perez, who narrowly made it through Q2, is eager to deliver a strong performance amidst ongoing speculation about his future with Red Bull.

It is anticipated that Leclerc’s race pace may be less competitive than Red Bull’s in dry conditions, raising questions about whether Verstappen can replicate his phenomenal comeback drives from previous Belgian races where he also overcame grid penalties to claim victory.

Despite Mercedes’ decision to remove the upgrade they brought for this weekend from the car after Friday, the wet weather provided an opportunity for Hamilton and Russell. Hamilton’s decision to stay on the track during the final part of qualifying, instead of pitting for another set of intermediates, paid off, as he finished just 0.081 seconds behind Leclerc’s time in Q3.

While Russell trailed by 0.349 seconds, both McLaren drivers, Norris and Piastri, were less than three tenths off Leclerc’s pace but over eight tenths behind Verstappen. Despite this, they hold promise for moving up the ranks during the race.

With the McLaren drivers’ strong practice pace in dry conditions, along with Verstappen’s performance, there is hope that they can secure a double podium finish and narrow the 51-point deficit to Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.

Belgian GP Qualifying Timesheet

Driver	Team	Time
1) Max Verstappen*	Red Bull	1:53.159
2) Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.595
3) Sergio Perez	Red Bull	+0.606
4) Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.676
5) Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.822
6) Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+0.868
7) George Russell	Mercedes	+1.025
8) Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+1.318
9) Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+1.606
10) Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.651
Knocked out in Q2
11) Alex Albon	Williams	1:54.473
12) Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:54.635
13) Daniel Ricciardo	RB	1:54.682
14) Valtteri Bottas	Sauber	1:54.764
15) Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:55.716
Knocked out in Q1
16) Nico Hulkenberg	Haas	1:56.308
17) Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:56.500
18) Yuki Tsunoda**	RB	1:56.593
19) Logan Sargeant	Williams	1:57.230
20) Zhou Guanyu	Sauber	1:57.775