Leclerc Secures Pole Position at Belgian GP Despite Verstappen’s Dominant Qualifying Run

Charles Leclerc secures pole for the Belgian Grand Prix, although Max Verstappen was quickest in the rain-affected qualifying session.

Max Verstappen secured the fastest time in a rain-affected qualifying session at the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix. However, due to a grid penalty, Charles Leclerc will be the one starting from the pole position.

For the second consecutive year, Verstappen secured the quickest lap during the qualifying round at Spa-Francorchamps. However, due to a penalty incurred from changing his engine, Leclerc was advanced to the pole position.

The current world champion from Red Bull outpaced Leclerc by over half a second, yet he will commence the race from the 11th position once his 10-place grid penalty for surpassing this season's power unit quota is enforced.

"Without a doubt, the outcome this weekend took me by surprise. Given the challenging circumstances, we managed to achieve beyond what we anticipated," remarked Leclerc.

"Today has been positive for our team, and now our attention shifts to tomorrow to anticipate the outcomes once the rain has ceased."

Without the rainfall, it's likely that we would have been competing for the fifth spot with Mercedes. However, the rain gave us a slight advantage, though I have no grievances about it.

"I'm truly delighted, particularly pleased with my performance in Q3, and it's great to find ourselves at the forefront of the grid again. Now, we need to seal the deal tomorrow."

Maintaining the lead from the start in this race isn't simple, but I'll have to wait and see how things unfold. Each beginning has its own dynamics, and once I'm behind the wheel navigating through Eau Rouge tomorrow, I'll assess the situation and decide on the optimal strategy.

Sergio Perez came close to achieving his first pole position of 2024, yet the Mexican driver, who is facing significant pressure, will line up next to Leclerc on the front row for the upcoming Sunday's grand prix.

Lewis Hamilton secured the third position on the grid for Mercedes, finishing 0.676 seconds behind Verstappen. The seven-time Formula 1 champion was faster than both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

George Russell is set to start in sixth place, just in front of Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Alpine's Esteban Ocon following behind.

Williams racer Alex Albon narrowly missed advancing to Q3 by a mere 0.003 seconds, yet he will line up in 10th position, surpassing his ex-Red Bull colleague Verstappen.

Pierre Gasly expressed disappointment for not making it into the top-10 shootout alongside his Alpine teammate, finishing in 12th place.

Daniel Ricciardo secured the 13th position in speed for Red Bull, followed by Sauber's Valtteri Bottas at 14th, and Lance Stroll, who experienced a significant accident in the last practice session, managed to be the 15th fastest for Aston Martin.

The duo from Haas, consisting of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, will start from the 16th and 17th positions, respectively, surpassing Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda. Logan Sargeant didn't make it to Q2 alongside his Williams team member, with Zhou Guanyu finishing as the slowest competitor for the Sauber team.

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