Belgian Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz takes pole in Spa, Max Verstappen fastest but penalty puts him back of grid
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ByEurosport
Updated 27/08/2022 at 21:46 GMT
Max Verstappen of Red Bull posted the fastest qualifying time of 1:43.665. But due to a grid penalty, he will start towards the back of the grid along with a number of other drivers. This meant that Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who was second fastest on the day, will start on pole ahead of Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
'I'm aiming for the win' Verstappen starting Belgian GP from 16th spot
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz will start on pole at the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa ahead of Red Bull's Sergio Perez in second.
Perez's team-mate and reigning world champion Max Verstappen was fastest in Q3 but is among a number of drivers who will start at the back of the grid due to penalties. Verstappen will start 15th with closest title challenge Charles Leclerc in 16th.
Fernando Alonso of Alpine will be third ahead of the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
In Q1, Vettel missed out on the cut-off for the next session by just 0.002, leading to an anguished cry to his team over the radio.
However the German former world champion - set to retire at the end of the season - was bumped up to 10th as a result of the flurry of grid penalties taken this race.
The reason for seven drivers taking penalties is that Spa is seen as a circuit that lends itself to overtaking, so teams have reasoned they can make up positions over the course of Sunday's race.
Nicolas Latifi, Kevin Magnussen, Yuki Tsunoda and Valtteri Bottas were all out at Q1's conclusion, which came 25 minutes later than scheduled as a track barrier was repaired before it started.
During Q2, Leclerc complained that "the car is jumping like crazy in the apex of slow corners". That complaint followed a crash in FP3, which may lead to concerns that should rain appear on Sunday, the Monegasque may find the racing heavy going.
Daniel Ricciardo, Mick Schumacher, Lance Stroll, Zhou Guanyu and Pierre Gasly were all cut at the end of Q2.
Once all grid penalties were accounted for, Sainz remained on pole, with Perez, Alonso and Hamilton forming the rest of the front two rows.
Russell followed in fifth, with sixth going to Alexander Albon and Ricciardo, Gasly, Stroll and Vettel making up the rest of the top 10 in that order.
Sunday's race looks set to be a challenging proposition for all as the quickest drivers find themselves well down the pack.
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