Max Verstappen may have been comfortably quickest in Friday's qualifying session in Spa-Francorchamps, but the world champion's Red Bull won't head Sunday afternoon's grid. That honour instead goes to Charles Leclerc.
The Ferrari star's P1 grid slot is the result of a five-place gearbox change penalty for Verstappen, whose team mate Sergio Perez will now line up on row one alongside Leclerc.
Penalty-hit Verstappen fastest in Belgian GP qualifying as Leclerc set to start from pole
Lewis Hamilton starts third for Mercedes, followed by the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz. McLaren's Oscar Piastri – the star of Saturday's F1 Sprint – will line up fifth alongside the penalised Verstappen in sixth.
The only other drivers with penalties are Kevin Magnussen, the Haas driver picking up a three-place drop to P16, and team mate Nico Hulkenberg. The German qualified last, but will start from the pit lane after modifications to his car in Parc Ferme, with new power unit and gearbox elements.
Starting Grid
FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2023
| Pos. | Driver | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles LeclercLEC | 1:46.988 |
| 2 | Sergio PerezPER | 1:47.045 |
| 3 | Lewis HamiltonHAM | 1:47.087 |
| 4 | Carlos SainzSAI | 1:47.152 |
| 5 | Oscar PiastriPIA | 1:47.365 |
| 6 | Max VerstappenVER | 1:46.168 |
| 7 | Lando NorrisNOR | 1:47.669 |
| 8 | George RussellRUS | 1:47.805 |
| 9 | Fernando AlonsoALO | 1:47.843 |
| 10 | Lance StrollSTR | 1:48.841 |
The 2023 Belgian Grand Prix starts at 1500 local time. Be sure to join our live coverage from 1400 here.
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