Charles Leclerc will start from pole for the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, after inheriting first from Max Verstappen, who topped the timings in a damp Saturday shootout.
Verstappen took first with a 1:53.201s, some six-tenths ahead of Leclerc and his team-mate Perez. However, he will start Sunday’s race from P11, thanks to an engine penalty.
A rain-soaked FP3 and a postponed F2 sprint race gave way to a break in the weather as Q1 started.
The track was officially declared wet by the FIA, and it was the Intermediate tyre required for the early running.
McLaren’s Lando Norris was the first to attempt a lap, with drivers scrambling to get times in as the rain threatened to return.
Norris opened with a 1:58.894s, well ahead of Kevin Magnussen’s Haas, but not as fast as Nico Hulkenberg or his team-mate Oscar Piastri, as a drying track started to yield serious time improvements.
Verstappen was next to take the top spot, but both Mercedes struggled for grip on their opening laps.
Norris climbed back up to fourth from 17th with his second attempt, with Hulkenberg, Hamilton, and Russell also posting improvements on their second runs.
Several drivers pitted for fresh Intermediate tyres including Norris with no sign of the track shifting to dry running.
Sergio Perez pushed his Red Bull up to second with a strong lap including a purple middle sector, however, he was soon supplanted by Ferrari’s Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo.
Piastri posted a flying time of 1:55.549s on his used set of Intermediate tyres to take first. The two Haas cars, the two Williams, and Lance Stroll sat in the elimination zone with six minutes to go.
Leclerc pushed to third and was joined by Carlos Sainz in fourth with less than five minutes remaining, but Verstappen was the first driver to go sub 1:55.000s as the lap times continued to tumble.
Norris managed to haul himself out of the drop zone and into fifth on his newer set of tyres with three minutes to go. Leclerc and Russell also climbed up to second and third respectively.
Piastri was the first driver to take the checkered flag, posting the fastest lap of the session ahead of Pierre Gasly.
Other drivers continued to improve including Valterri Bottas, Estaban Ocon, Stroll, Fernando Alonso, and crucially Perez who avoided a Q1 exit.
Both Haas drivers exited in Q1 along with Yuki Tsunoda, Logan Sargeant, and Zhou Guanyu, the latter appearing to impede Verstappen in the closing stages.
As Q2 began mixed reports of rain continued over the radio channels, but early quick times from Alex Albon, Ocon, Russell, Gasly, and Alonso seemed to confirm that the conditions were still improving.
Norris went over a second faster than his Q1 time to take first in the early going. Perez showed improvement too, posting a lap good enough for fourth, but it was team-mate Verstappen who set the pace with a 1:53.857s with his first attempt.
Gasly languished in the bottom five after his first run, and showed no signs of improvement with his second attempt as heavier rain started to fall.
With less than six minutes to go drivers started to slide more, Perez reporting heavier rain, but some drivers including Verstappen and Russell continued to post improving times.
With four minutes remaining, elimination loomed for both Ferraris and Hamilton, but all three pulled themselves out of the drop zone in the closing stages.
Piastri posted a strong purple sector three on new rubber to go second, despite dipping a tyre into the gravel on his attempt.
Perez’s final lap was good enough for fourth behind his team-mate and the two McLarens, but the drivers behind continued to threaten improvement.
Ocon took the checkered flag first in Q2 with an excellent lap to go fourth, likewise, Hamilton, Russell, and Alonso posted big improvements pushing Checo perilously close to the drop zone.
Leclerc and Sainz also posted strong times, but Perez was spared the blushes of a Q2 exit by 0.003s to Albon.
Bottas was the last driver over the line, but couldn’t improve on his 14th spot. He was eliminated alongside Albon, Gasly, Ricciardo, and Stroll.
Q3 started and the rain continued to hold, with Hamilton setting the early pace with a 1.54.011s ahead of team-mate Russell, both McLarens, and both Ferraris.
However, Verstappen was the man to beat after the first round of flying laps, some six-tenths ahead of team-mate Perez in second.
Both Mercedes attempted second laps but couldn’t improve, along with Piastri.
Red Bull rolled out of the pit lane on brand-new Intermediate tyres with two minutes to go and looked on course for an excellent team result.
Likewise, Sainz and Leclerc set out on fresh rubber, the first two drivers to open laps in the final shootout.
Both showed some improvement, but Sainz was unable to better his eighth position. Leclerc pipped Perez to second with his final lap as the rain continued to fall.
Despite a purple final sector, Verstappen couldn’t improve on his first time but retained his first place.
Leclerc finished second ahead of Perez. Hamilton’s final time was enough to beat Norris to fourth. Piastri finished sixth ahead of Russell, with Sainz, Alonso, and Ocon rounding out the top 10.
