Max Verstappen stormed to pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix, clocking a blistering 1:53.159 in a rain-hit qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps. The Red Bull driver edged out McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by just 0.003 seconds in a tense Q3 shootout, where changeable weather kept teams on their toes.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc grabbed third, half a second adrift, while teammate Lewis Hamilton could only manage seventh after a lock-up on his final lap. Mercedes struggled overall, with George Russell in fifth and rookie Kimi Antonelli down in 12th, citing setup issues in the mixed conditions.
Lando Norris, Piastri’s McLaren partner, settled for fourth despite a strong early pace, frustrated by traffic in Q2. Sergio Perez rounded out the top six for Red Bull, but admitted the car felt “twitchy” in the wet sectors.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso impressed with eighth, ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Williams’ Alex Albon, who both capitalized on others’ mistakes. Haas pair Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen missed Q3, as did RB’s Yuki Tsunoda, who spun out in Q1.
The session saw two red flags: one for a heavy shunt from Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu at Eau Rouge, and another when VCARB’s Daniel Ricciardo aquaplaned off at Blanchimont. No injuries, but it shuffled strategies mid-way.
Verstappen, chasing his fourth straight title, called it “a proper Spa special – slippery and unpredictable.” Grid penalties loom for a few, including engine changes for Hamilton, setting up a spicy race day.
