F1 Belgian GP Qualifying: Verstappen claims top spot but penalty means Leclerc takes pole
Despite storming through the qualifying session at the Belgian GP, Max Verstappen's five-place grid penalty means Charles Leclerc takes pole position. With a packed and unpredictable race on the cards, the F1 season continues its exciting run.
In qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen outpaced Charles Leclerc by a staggering 0.8 seconds.
However, a five-place grid penalty, triggered by fitting a fifth gearbox of the season, means the Dutchman is set to start from sixth place, despite his dominant performance at Spa.
Changing conditions
Verstappen and Leclerc's struggle under rapidly evolving conditions served as the main act of the day.
After trailing Leclerc in the first runs in Q3, Verstappen's disagreement with Red Bull's run plan led to a terse exchange with his engineer, Giapiero Lambiase.
Lambiase come me in ogni discussione pic.twitter.com/LVE3yvQFtA
— Michele 🏎🏎 (@Megheee_) July 28, 2023
In the second Q3 runs, Leclerc, leading the frontrunners, improved his time to a 1m46.988s.
Verstappen, however, blasted through all three sectors on his final lap, securing the fastest time with a 1m46.168s, but the subsequent grid penalty will put him behind Leclerc for Sunday’s race.
Hamilton's unusual Incident
Sergio Perez joins Leclerc on the front row after his final run knocked Lewis Hamilton down to fourth.
Hamilton faces a post-qualifying investigation for a potential unsafe rejoin infraction following an odd incident at Eau Rouge/Raidillon, running ahead of his teammate, George Russell.
Carlos Sainz, the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll completed the top 10.
Yuki Tsunoda's near miss and Esteban Ocon's crash
The qualifying session also witnessed some near-miss and crash incidents. Yuki Tsunoda, who had briefly led Q2, was eventually eliminated in 11th, while Esteban Ocon crashed at Turn 9 during late Q2 slicks running, damaging his front wing.
Race Expectations
With Verstappen's grid penalty setting him back, an exciting race is on the horizon.
Charles Leclerc, in pole position, will aim to capitalise on this advantage, while Verstappen will look to move up from sixth.
With the Belgian Grand Prix known for its unpredictable weather, it's anyone's game.
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