F1 qualifying results: Leclerc to start Belgian GP from pole after ...

Leclerc will start ahead of Sergio Perez (Red Bull) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) after the one-hour qualifying session, which is split into three segments with five cars each being knocked out in Q1 and Q2 before the top 10 shootout of Q3.

As this is a sprint weekend format, these sessions set the grid for Sunday’s race and have no impact on Saturday’s sprint event.

Verstappen got his five-place grid penalty for taking a fifth gearbox.

What happened in Belgian GP Q1?

After a 10-minute delay to allow standing water to drain from a soaked track surface, the session started in bright sunshine with everyone on intermediate tyres.

Carlos Sainz set the early pace at 2m00.536s after 10 minutes, before Verstappen beat that with 1m58.932s. As the conditions improved, Hamilton took first with 1m58.841s before Verstappen grabbed it back with 1m58.515s and Leclerc topped everyone with 1m58.300s.

Lando Norris (McLaren) took a trip through the gravel trap on the exit of Stavelot but made it thought.

Falling at the first hurdle were, Alex Albon (Williams), Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo), Logan Sargeant (Williams), Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri, who had a faster lap time deleted for exceeding track limits) and Nico Hulkenberg (whose Haas was delayed by a hydraulic problem and he missed his final lap).

Belgian GP Grand Prix Q1 results: Leclerc fastest from Verstappen What happened in Belgian GP Q2?

Verstappen set the initial pace on intermediate tyres at 1m55.535s before teams switched to slicks for the final runs.

Perez set the first slick fastest lap with 1m55.151s, which was soon wrested away by George Russell (Mercedes), Norris, Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) as the track dried quickly. Verstappen almost got knocked out when he ran wide at Turn 9.

Knocked out at this point were Tsunoda, who went from first to 11th in just over 90s, Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Kevin Magnussen (Haas), Valtteri Bottas (Alfa) and Esteban Ocon (Alpine) hit the wall and broke his front wing after sliding off at Jacky Ickx Corner.

Belgian GP Grand Prix Q2 results: Piastri fastest from Sainz What happened in Belgian GP Q3?

On the first runs, with the track dry enough for DRS to be enabled, Leclerc set the pace at 1m47.931s, 0.128s faster than Verstappen.

On the final runs, Leclerc improved to 1m476.988s but Verstappen blew everyone out of the water with 1m46.168s, going faster by 0.82s. But he will slip back to start from the third row of the grid.

Leclerc will start ahead of Perez, Hamilton, Sainz, Piastri, Verstappen, Norris, Russell and the Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.

Belgian GP Q3 results: Verstappen fastest, Leclerc on pole