Verstappen fastest, Sainz on pole after Belgian GP qualifying

Max Verstappen was fastest in qualifying for the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix but it will be Carlos Sainz who will start on pole.

The Spaniard was second best in the three-part qualifying session while power unit penalties for the championship leader will see the Ferrari on pole for Sunday’s race.

Third fastest was Sergio Perez, a result that will translate to a front row berth on a grid where only one driver, Valtteri Bottas, will start the race where they qualified.

The session was delayed by 25 minutes as repairs were made at the Fagnes chicane after a support category dented the armco barrier.

There was hardly a stampede once proceedings got underway with only Nicholas Latifi and Mick Schumacher immediately taking to the circuit.

It took four minutes for the track action to begin in earnest with all 20 runners out on track.

The opening flurry of laps left Verstappen fastest with a 1:44.581s ahead of Sainz on a 1:45.050s.

With a host of drivers set to take grid penalties, it made the battle to escape from the bottom five less meaningful than usual; the slowest qualifier without a penalty will line up no worse than 14th on Sunday.

Comfortable with their laps, the top four, Verstappen, Sainz, Sergio Perez, and Charles Leclerc, all remained in the garage as Qualifying 1 came to a close.

All 16 other drivers headed out, which became 15 as Bottas pitted rather than completing his timed lap to end the segment 20th and last.

Also eliminated were Sebastian Vettel, Latifi, Kevin Magnussen, and Yuki Tsunoda.

Most of the remaining field headed out as Qualifying 2 began, though Leclerc delayed his entry by the better part of a lap.

Daniel Ricciardo meanwhile remained in the garage, the only driver to keep his powder dry in the opening stages.

After his first lap, Verstappen logged a 1:44.723s, narrowly faster than Perez who managed a 1:44.794s to slot in second.

Then came Sainz, with Ocon fourth for Alpine and Norris fifth fastest.

With three minutes remaining, all bar the two Red Bulls headed back out for a second flying lap – or first in Ricciardo’s case.

That included Alex Albon, whose own re-entry was delayed until two minutes remaining, a strategy that would net a first top 10 qualifying result of the season.

With Ocon comparatively safe in fourth, the Frenchman offered a tow to Alpine team-mate Fernando Alonso down the Kemmel Straight, the move in response to a similar plan at McLaren.

The Spaniard climbed to fifth as a result, pushing Norris down a spot while Ricciardo set the eighth best lap with a 1:45.767s with his only lap in the session.

However, that was quickly demoted to 11th to eliminate the Australian from Qualifying 2, along with Pierre Gasly, Guanyu Zhou, Lance Stroll, and Mick Schumacher.

Having run again, Leclerc shot to the top, ending the phase fastest with a 1:44.551s, though having completed two runs versus Verstappen’s one.

The Monegasque remained in the garage as Qualifying 3 began, emerging the better part of a lap out of sync with the nine other remaining runners.

Set to drop to the rear of the grid because of power unit penalties, Leclerc was used to give Sainz a tow on his qualifying lap.

Curiously, he was sent out on the wrong tyres, a point he questioned over the radio.

Sainz managed a 1:44.297s, not enough to depose Verstappen’s 1:43.665s while Perez sat third.

Leclerc slotted in fourth, having stayed out on track despite the confused tyre selection.

He cycled back to the pit lane with less than three minutes remaining in the session, leaving precious little time to be turned around for a final effort.

At Red Bull, Verstappen opted not to run again and climbed from the car before the end of the session.

On the track, there was almost a shunt involving Sainz and Alonso on their warmup lap.

Leclerc did reappear, though only to offer Sainz a tow down the Kemmel Straight in what amounted to a scruffy lap.

He could not improve on his earlier best, remaining second to Verstappen as Leclerc immediately headed back into the pits to remain fourth behind Perez.

Ocon ended the session fifth, one spot ahead of Alonso, with the top 10 completed by Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Albon, and Norris.

While that was the order the session ended, it is not that which will take the race start, with a host of penalties set to shake up the order.

That will leave Sainz on pole with Perez to join him on the front row when Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix gets underway at 23:00 AEST.

Results: Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, Qualifying

Note – Verstappen, Ocon and Norris required to start from the back of the grid for use of additional power unit elements. Leclerc penalised 40 grid places, Bottas and Schumacher 30 grid places for use of additional power unit and gearbox elements.