Last Updated: 08/27/22 5:49 PM
Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player
Carlos Sainz takes pole position at Belgian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen is penalized despite setting fastest lap in Q3
Carlos Sainz takes pole position at Belgian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen is penalized despite setting fastest lap in Q3
Carlos Sainz will start on pole for the Belgian Grand Prix after several driver penalties set up an exciting grid for Sunday’s race at Spa.
Sainz finished second in qualifying behind Max Verstappen, but with the world championship leader relegated to 15th after getting new engine parts, the Ferrari driver takes his second career pole.
He will be joined on the front row by Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, who finished two tenths behind the Spaniard in third.
Charles Leclerc qualified fourth but will start behind Verstappen in 16th, with four other drivers who have also been penalized starting behind the championship-contending duo.
Fernando Alonso overtook both Mercedes cars to earn a place on the second row alongside Lewis Hamilton, while George Russell is joined on the third row by Alex Albon, who put in an impressive performance for Williams to reach the Q3.
Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player
Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez took the top three positions in qualifying for Saturday’s Sprint
Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez took the top three positions in qualifying for Saturday’s Sprint
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (fifth) and McLaren’s Lando Norris (10th) also made it to the latter part of qualifying, but will start 17th and 18th respectively, having also been penalised.
The other drivers relegated to the rear were Haas’ Mick Schumacher and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu, with the latter’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas starting 14th after a less severe penalty.
Belgian GP starting grid
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 2) Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 3) Fernando Alonso (Alpine) 4) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 5) George Russell (Mercedes) 6) Alex Albon (Williams) 7) Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 8) Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) 9) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 10) Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) 11) Nicholas Latifi (Williams) 12) Kevin Magnussen (Haas) 13) Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri) 14) Valtteri Bottas (Alf ) Romeo) 15) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 16) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 17) Esteban Ocon (Alpine) 18) Lando Norris (McLaren) 19) Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) 20) Mick Schumacher (Haas)
Rapid Verstappen curtails Ferrari’s joy
Despite Sainz taking pole for Ferrari, qualifying at Spa represented a continuation of the dominance Verstappen had shown before the sport’s summer break.
The Dutchman, who has an 80-point lead over Leclerc as he bids to retain the world championship, was in a league of his own as he edged out Sainz by more than 0.6s despite opting not to go for a final run.
Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player
Join Carlos Sainz for his pole lap from Qualifying at the Belgian GP
Join Carlos Sainz for his pole lap from Qualifying at the Belgian GP
There will be disappointment for Perez, who finished the better part of 0.2s behind Sainz, despite Red Bull clearly holding a significant performance advantage over Ferrari in the cool and wet conditions seen on Friday and Saturday.
“I’m happy to start on pole, obviously I’m not so happy to see the gap to Max this weekend and the gap Red Bull has to us,” said Sainz.
“We have to keep digging to see why Red Bull are so quick on this track…but starting from pole is good and we will try to win tomorrow.
“I think our race pace is better than our qualifying pace, but there is still something to find.”
Verstappen came from 10th on the grid to win in the final race before the summer break in Hungary, and his pace suggests he has a chance of bettering that feat on Sunday.
Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player
Sergio Perez believes he has a very competitive pace for tomorrow’s Belgian GP with the chance to challenge Carlos Sainz for the race win.
Sergio Perez believes he has a very competitive pace for tomorrow’s Belgian GP with the chance to challenge Carlos Sainz for the race win.
“It was an amazing qualifying, but all weekend we were really into it,” said Verstappen.
“With a car like this it would be a shame not to be on the podium.”
Despite Ferrari claiming pole, the mistakes that have plagued their campaign were once again evident on Saturday.
Leclerc narrowly escaped major damage when he spun into the barriers in the closing stages of final practice and during qualifying, the Monegasque was sent out on track with the wrong set of tyres, before receiving an apology over team radio for the ‘mistake’. .
While Leclerc will expect to score points on Sunday, it seems unlikely that he will be able to come through the field in the way that many predict Verstappen will.
What went wrong for Mercedes?
Despite another disappointing Friday, Mercedes had entered Saturday hoping to find the pace to compete for pole given the penalties Verstappen and Leclerc were facing.
However, the Silver Arrows were unable to find any significant improvement in both final practice and qualifying and had to go through to Q3, where they finished seventh and eighth after passing the two Alpines.
Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player
Lewis Hamilton reflects on a disappointing qualifying for Mercedes at the Belgian Grand Prix after finishing P7.
Lewis Hamilton reflects on a disappointing qualifying for Mercedes at the Belgian Grand Prix after finishing P7.
While the W13 generally performed more competitively on race day than in qualifying this season, Hamilton struggled to hide his shock at the team radio that he ended up 1.8 seconds behind Verstappen.
“Everyone is working on improvements,” the seven-time world champion said afterwards. “We came here really optimistic that we could be close, but to be 1.8 seconds behind is a real kick in the teeth.
“It’s a car we continue to race with and we certainly won’t lose it at the end of the year.
“The teams in front of us are in another league and our car looked very different today. We have a lot of work to do and we will do the best we can with what we have for the rest of the season.”
Belgian GP qualifying time sheet
Team driver time 1) Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:43.665 2) Carlos Sainz Ferrari +0.632 3) Sergio Perez Red Bull +0.797 4) Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.888 5) Esteban Ocon Alpine +1.515 1.7on Alpine 6) Lewis Hamilton Mercedes + 1,838 8) George Russell Mercedes +2,111 9) Lando Norris McLaren +2,172 10) Alex Albon Williams +2,513 Released in Q2 …
