Charles Leclerc takes Belgian GP pole as Max Verstappen slapped with F1 penalty

28 July 2023 , 16:17

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Charles Leclerc took pole position (Image: Getty Images)

Charles Leclerc will start the Belgian Grand Prix on pole position with Max Verstappen down in sixth thanks to a grid penalty.

The Dutchman was quickest overall with a storming lap in Q3. But he drops five places on the grid for Sunday's main race after taking an extra gearbox for this weekend, exceeding his allowance for the season.

Leclerc was second quickest to secure only his second pole of the season. And Sergio Perez will join the Monegasque on the front row of the grid, exorcising his qualifying demons to pip Lewis Hamilton, meaning the Brit will start third.

Carlos Sainz will join him on the second row with Oscar Piastri behind alongside Verstappen. The Aussie out-qualified McLaren team-mate Lando Norris, who will line up seventh alongside a disappointed George Russell in eighth. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll round off the top 10.

Qualifying was threatened by the heavy rain which kept lashing the Spa track throughout the day on Friday. But the clouds parted and sunshine began beating down just in time for the start of the session, giving fans the show they turned out to see.

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That was a lucky break for everyone, but it was where Nico Hulkenberg's fortune ended. He suffered a hydraulics problem on his car which meant he could not get out on track in time to attempt to get out of Q1, and so will start the race from the back of the grid.

Both Williams cars also went out in that first part of the session, with everyone on intermediates as the track was still damp. Zhou Guanyu was also out with Daniel Ricciardo the final of the five unlucky racers exiting, having his quickest lap time deleted for a track limits violation.

Max Verstappen's penalty meant pole position at Spa was off the table (AP)

Hamilton and Russell progressed comfortably despite a complaint from the younger Brit, who told his team-mate to "put his foot down" in a terse radio message. The seven-time world champion responded to that request perfectly by setting the fastest time of that first part of the session.

They also survived Q2 without a hitch, but Verstappen very nearly didn't. He was only 10th fastest in that middle part of the session, and duly responded to almost going out of the session with a rant over the radio at his Red Bull team.

As the last to cross the line in Q2, Pierre Gasly and Kevin Magnussen had the chance to knock out the championship leader. But they both failed to make the top 10, with Yuki Tsunoda, Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon the others to fail to progress.

The Dutchman made the most of his reprieve by going fastest overall, limiting the damage done by his grid penalty dropping him to sixth. Leclerc and Perez will share the front row as a result, with Hamilton one place behind.

Full 2023 Belgian Grand Prix qualifying result

1. Max Verstappen – Red Bull*
2. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
3. Sergio Perez – Red Bull
4. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
5. Carlos Sainz – Ferrari
6. Oscar Piastri – Mclaren
7. Lando Norris – McLaren
8. George Russell – Mercedes
9. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
10. Lance Stroll – Aston Martin
11. Yuki Tsunoda – AlphaTauri
12. Pierre Gasly – Alpine
13. Kevin Magnussen – Haas
14. Valtteri Bottas – Alfa Romeo
15. Esteban Ocon – Alpine
16. Alex Albon – Williams
17. Zhou Guanyu – Alfa Romeo
18. Logan Sargeant – Williams
19. Daniel Ricciardo – AlphaTauri
20. Nico Hulkenberg – Haas

*Verstappen will drop five places to sixth due to a penalty.

Daniel Moxon