Verstappen fastest in Belgium qualifying

Max Verstappen finished the Friday qualifying session fastest in changeable wet/dry condition, but it is Charles Leclerc, who claimed pole, as the Dutchman was hit with a 5-place grid drop for exceeding gearbox usage.

Max Verstappen is fastest on track in Belgium! 💪

Due to a 5-place grid penalty, Charles Leclerc will start the Grand Prix from pole position #BelgianGP #F1 @Max33Verstappen @redbullracing pic.twitter.com/iV7tqdiqiD

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 28, 2023

Verstappen clocked a time of 1:46.168, some 8 tenths faster than Leclerc and his teammate Sergio Perez, who will start on he front row for the first time since Miami.

Hamilton finished in fourth, which will become 3rd on Sunday, followed by Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri, who were the last ones to benefit from the Verstappen’s penalty.

More on this topic:

Leclerc sees Hamilton move to Ferrari as ‘incredible opportunity’

🏁 QUALIFYING CLASSIFICATION 🏁

Charles Leclerc inherits pole position from Max Verstappen due to a 5-place grid penalty #BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/TQ3xuxvNz9

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 28, 2023

The Dutchman is on a roll and will seek his 45th career victory, 10th this season and 8th in a row, but he has some overtaking to do.

However, that shouldn’t be an issue as Spa-Francorchamps is well known for his easy overtaking and not to mention that Verstappen started P14 last year and cruised to victory in a commanding fashion.