Verstappen wins Belgian qualifying but Leclerc on Spa pole

Charles Leclerc will start the Belgian Grand Prix on pole position despite Max Verstappen winning F1 qualifying. 

Due to a 10-place grid drop for an extra internal combustion engine, Verstappen will start 11th, having gone 0.595s faster than Leclerc in a wet Spa qualifying. 

Using a fresh set of intermediate tyres on the final runs, Leclerc vaulted up the order in the Ferrari from seventh, lapping in 1:53.754 to take a second straight pole in Belgium. 

It is Leclerc's 25th pole in F1, with the Monegasque being joined on the front-row by Sergio Perez, whom he out-qualified by 0.011s.

Lewis Hamilton will line-up third for Mercedes and Lando Norris will be fourth.

Q3

On the first runs in Q3, Verstappen pumped in the 1:53.169s effort that would ultimately win him qualifying for the fourth straightt year at Spa, but for the third year in a row, he is taking the engine drop. 

Perez was initially closest on a 1:53.765, with Hamilton third on a 1:54.011. 

Leclerc used a used set of intermediates on the opening run, leaving him nearly 1.4s slower than Verstappen, but on the fresh set of inters on the second runs, he climbed up the order to inherit pole from Verstappen.

Team-mate Carlos Sainz also used a new set of inters on this run, but could not improve, with Verstappen also failing to lower his benchmark, falling 0.042s of his fastest lap on the second attempt.

Behind the front two rows, Oscar Piastri was fifth for McLaren ahead of George Russell, Sainz, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon for Alpine.

Alex Albon will be promoted into the top 10 as a result of Verstappen's penalty.

Albon pipped by Perez

At the start of Q2, track conditions started to dry, with Verstappen immediately jumping to the head of the times. 

Although it began to lightly rain in the closing stages, drivers were armed with a fresh set of intermediates and were able to improve.

From the drop-zone, Hamilton and Russell vaulted up to P2 and P3, with the Ferrari duo of Sainz and Leclerc also emerging through at the death in fourth and fifth. 

The unlucky first driver to miss out was Albon in 11th, just 0.003s slower than Perez's P10 time, with Pierre Gasly and Daniel Ricciardo also falling out of the top 10 late on.

Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll were 14th and 15th, with Stroll's Aston Martin being heavily rebuilt following his FP3 shunt at Raidillon.

Double Haas Q1 exit

Throughout Q1, the track conditions dried throughout, with the Haas duo of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen falling. 

They were joined by Logan Sargeant in 19th and Zhou Guanyu in 20th, with Yuki Tsunoda in 18th place.

Tsunoda will drop to the rear of the field following his 60-place grid penalty for a complete fresh power unit, bumping Zhou up to 19th. 

However, the Stake driver will be investigated by the stewards for the Zhou incident. 

Up front, Piastri topped the segment on a 1:54.835 with Norris and Hamilton 12th and 13th, respectively.