Max Verstappen demolished the field once again to set the fastest time in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix – although Charles Leclerc will actually start on pole thanks to the Dutchman's grid penalty.
Rain delayed the start of qualifying on Friday afternoon, with drivers running on a wet track for the second consecutive session after a sodden FP1.
The track was drying out as the session went on, leaving teams trying to position their cars to cross the line last in order to get the best of the conditions.
The conditions had changed enough by the end of Q2 that teams were running the soft slick tyres, dramatically changing the complexion of the session once again – Yuki Tsunoda going from first to 11th in a minute and a half.
F1 Qualifying Results: Belgian Grand Prix 2023
1. Max Verstappen [Red Bull] – 1:46.168sec
2. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari] – +0.820s
3. Sergio Perez [Red Bull] – +0.877s
4. Lewis Hamilton [Mercedes] – +0.919s
5. Carlos Sainz [Ferrari] – +0.984s
6. Oscar Piastri [McLaren] – +1.197s
7. Lando Norris [McLaren] – +1.501s
8. George Russell [Mercedes] – +1.637s
9. Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin] – +1.675s
10. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin] – +2.673s
ELIMINATED IN Q2
11. Yuki Tsunoda [AlphaTauri]
12. Pierre Gasly [Alpine]
13. Kevin Magnussen [Haas]
14. Valtteri Bottas [Alfa Romeo]
15. Esteban Ocon [Alpine]
ELIMINATED IN Q1
16. Alex Albon [Williams]
17. Zhou Guanyu [Alfa Romeo]
18. Logan Sargeant [Williams]
19. Daniel Ricciardo [AlphaTauri]
20. Nico Hulkenberg [Haas]
How does F1 Qualifying work?
The 60-minute qualifying session is split into three finite windows which provides a dramatic prelude to Sunday's big race.
The bottom five drivers are eliminated at the end of Q1, with a further five eliminated after Q2.
Then Q3 gives us a shootout between the remaining 10 drivers in the battle for positions at the front of the grid.
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