Belgian GP - Qualifying

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Rolex Belgian GP

Qualifying

July 27, 2024

Charles Leclerc will lead the Belgian Grand Prix from pole position due to a 10-place engine penalty that pushed Max Verstappen from the top spot in qualifying to an 11th-place grid position.

Despite setting the fastest time in wet conditions, Verstappen's penalty was a result of an engine change prior to Friday's practice session, guaranteeing the grid drop regardless of his qualifying performance.

This situation mirrors last year's Belgian Grand Prix, where Verstappen overcame a penalty, secured pole position, started from sixth place, and still won the race with a 22-second lead.

Although Red Bull's competitors have narrowed the gap in recent races, Verstappen, starting from a disadvantaged position, is still considered a top contender for victory.

Following qualifying, Leclerc commented: "Exactly the same [result as last year] --  it's good, I definitely did not expect that this weekend with the tricky conditions. We could do something about our expectations, so it's a good day for the team and we need to focus on tomorrow and see what we can happen when the rain is gone.

"Without this rain, probably P5 was the position we were fighting for with Mercedes especially but obviously with the rain it helped us a little bit. I'm not going to complain, I'm really happy with my lap in Q3 and it's good to be back on the front part of the grid."

Sergio Perez, Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull, will begin the race from the second position on the grid, with Lewis Hamilton in third and the two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in fourth and fifth places.

Following the qualifying session, Perez commented: "I think P2 is probably the best position we can wish for in Spa, it was the same with Charles last year, so I will try again tomorrow to do the same and it's a long race ahead of us -- it looks like it's going to be dry.

"Every weekend is a new opportunity to do better and tomorrow is a new opportunity is a new day to go for that win."

Verstappen, meanwhile, expressed his happiness: "It was a nice qualifying. Luckily the weather was OK, it was just raining a little but so we could do a decent qualifying. The tyres worked well -- we could do good lap times and we did not know about Q3 and whether the track would dry out.

"Very happy, the car was doing quite well in the wets and I could just try to do clean lap times in the wet. Tomorrow is going to be a different day, it's going to be warmer."

McLaren had a slightly disappointing result in qualifying after their one-two victory in Hungary last week, as both cars failed to improve on their final runs in Q3.

George Russell from Mercedes will start sixth, followed by Carlos Sainz from Ferrari, Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin, and Esteban Ocon from Alpine.

Alex Albon narrowly missed out on a top-ten spot and will start 11th, with Pierre Gasly from Alpine in 12th. Daniel Ricciardo secured 13th place for RB, ahead of Valtteri Bottas from Sauber and Lance Stroll from Aston Martin, whose car was rebuilt after a big accident at Raidillon in the final practice session.

Nico Hulkenberg will start 16th for Haas, with Kevin Magnussen in 17th. Yuki Tsunoda set the 18th fastest time but will start from the back of the grid due to a grid penalty for a complete power unit change. This will move Logan Sargeant up to 18th and Zhou Guanyu up to 19th.

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Belgian GP 2024 Qualifying Results

Disqualified from Q1

16. Nico Hülkenberg, 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)

Disqualified from Q2

11. Alexander Albon, Williams (1:54.473)

12. Pierre Gasly, Alpine (1:54.635)

13. Daniel Ricciardo, RB (1:54.682)

14. Valtteri Bottas, Sauber (:54.764)

15. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin (1:55.716)

Top 10 Qualifying from Belgian GP 2024

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 1:53.159)

2. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (1:53.754)

3. Sergio Pérez, Red Bull (1:53.765)

4. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (1:53.835)

5. Lando Norris, McLaren (1:53.981)

6. Oscar Piastri, McLaren (1:54.027)

7. George Russell, Mercedes (1:54.184)

8. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari (1:54.477)

9. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin (1:54.765)

10. Esteban Ocon, Alpine (1:54.810)