Leclerc benefits from Verstappen's penalty and starts from pole position

However, Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari will start the race on Sunday from pole position. Max Verstappen will be moved back ten places on the grid because he has already had the fifth engine installed in his Red Bull this season. "Does that still count as pole?" asked Verstappen over the radio. The answer is yes. Officially, the three-time world champion (2021 to 2023) finished first in qualifying for the 41st time in his career.

Verstappen can start the race on Sunday in eleventh place. "We made the most of the situation," said Verstappen. "With this car, we are certainly still in the mix." Once again, Verstappen finally looked happy and satisfied with his Red Bull after a race appearance - and starting from further back is no problem for Verstappen, especially in Belgium. He was already pushed back at the last two Grands Prix in Spa and still won the races. Verstappen: "It will be important to get through the first (hairpin) corner well. You can only lose the race in that first corner."

Charles Leclerc inherited first place on the grid - exactly the same as a year ago, when he also benefited from Verstappen's retirement. Leclerc's 2nd place in qualifying surprised even the Monegasque: "We didn't expect that at all. The rain certainly helped. Without the rain, we might have finished 5th."

The Sauber team was unable to benefit from the drizzle and damp conditions. Last week's big bang with the dismissals of Managing Director Andreas Seidl and Chairman of the Board Oliver Hoffmann did not lead to any improvement in performance on the track for the time being. Zhou Guanyu finished another qualifying session in last place, while Valtteri Bottas at least reached the second phase of qualifying, but retired there (in 14th place). Bottas has only started from further up the grid this season in China (10th), Spain (12th) and Hungary (12th).