Max Verstappen fastest in Belgian GP qualifying but Charles Leclerc on pole

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS – Max Verstappen was happy with “the best he could do” as he finished fastest in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday, but will start in sixth due to a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.

Red Bull confirmed ahead of Friday’s practice – which was hit by heavy rain – that the two-time world champion would be using his fifth gearbox of the season, one more than the rules allow without penalty.

In the difficult conditions, however, the Dutchman still managed to finish 0.820sec ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who will be in pole for Sunday’s race.

“It was very tight. The conditions were tricky and the track was drying quickly,” said Verstappen, who is chasing his eighth win in a row.

“I know I have to drop back on Sunday with the penalty I have, so it was the best I could do today.

“It was all about feeling confident and risking everything in that final run to get more lap time. We know the car was quick and even in these tricky conditions, luckily we showed it again.”

He has won the last seven races and is chasing his 10th out of 12. He leads teammate Sergio Perez, who qualified third, by 110 points.

“Not a bad qualifying for us, in those wet conditions it’s always tricky to put everything together,” said Leclerc.

“I put a lot of work in those conditions as I wasn’t comfortable a few races ago and it seems to have paid off.

“Pole was definitely not for us today and Max was too quick. We could have been a bit closer but we have a great starting position for Sunday.

“I’m happy but there is still quite a bit of work to do to catch the Red Bulls.”

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri of McLaren qualified fourth to sixth respectively and will have their positions moved up due to Verstappen dropping down.

McLaren’s Lando Norris, Mercedes’ George Russell, and the Aston Martin duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll complete the top 10.

“It was very tricky. We started on the inters and conditions were very tricky initially,” said Perez, who will be alongside Leclerc in the front row.

“We thought it would get a lot drier a lot quicker but it took a long time. Even at the end of Q3 it was quite tricky in a few places like Turns 8 and 9.

“But it’s a good result. It’s a shame I didn’t get Charles but in these conditions it was good that we had a good one.”

A standalone sprint event will be held on Saturday.

Off the track, Formula One will postpone a much-discussed ban on tyre-heating blankets until after the 2024 season, the governing FIA said on Friday. The proposed ban was aimed at reducing energy consumption and helping the sport reach environmental sustainability targets.

The blankets heat slick tyres for two hours before a session to improve grip when coming out of the pitlane.

The FIA’s Formula One Commission said after a meeting this week that further tests would be carried out into 2025. REUTERS, AFP