In a dramatic turn of events at the Belgian Grand Prix qualifying, Max Verstappen showcased his dominance by setting the fastest time of 1:53.159. However, due to a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding the engine limit, the reigning world champion will start Sunday’s race from 11th position.Benefiting from Verstappen’s penalty, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start from pole position, marking his 25th career pole. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who has been under pressure recently, surprised many by securing second place on the grid, just 0.011 seconds behind Leclerc.Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes will start from third, with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri rounding out the top five. The wet conditions during qualifying led to some unexpected results, with Leclerc admitting that the rain helped Ferrari’s performance.Despite his penalty, Verstappen remains optimistic about his chances in the race. “It was a good qualifying session,” he said. “Tomorrow we need to be fast with the dry track. I hope we can be in the fight”. His rivals, including Hamilton and Leclerc, are not counting him out, expecting him to move through the field quickly.The Belgian Grand Prix promises to be an exciting race, with Verstappen aiming for his fourth consecutive win at Spa. The combination of a potentially dry race and Verstappen’s charge from 11th sets the stage for a thrilling Sunday at the iconic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Key points
- Max Verstappen set the fastest qualifying time but will start 11th due to a grid penalty.
- Charles Leclerc inherits pole position, with Sergio Perez starting second.
- Wet conditions during qualifying led to some unexpected grid positions.
- Verstappen remains optimistic about his chances to fight through the field.
Contradictions👾Some sources report Verstappen’s fastest lap time as 1:53.
159, while others mention 1:54.
159.
This discrepancy could be due to different timing systems or reporting errors.
