Sainz on pole despite Verstappen's best time

World champion Max Verstappen set the clear best time in the first Formula 1 qualifying after the summer break for the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday - but the Red Bull driver, like many other drivers on the starting grid, was given a penalty due to the unauthorized change of engine parts. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz inherited the first starting position for the race on Sunday (15.00 p.m.) in Spa, who was 0,632 seconds slower than Verstappen.

The Spaniard is at the top for the second time. The Mexican Sergio Perez (+0,797) will start next to him in the Red Bull. Charles Leclerc (+0,888), Verstappen's biggest rival in the World Cup fight, will also start at the back of the field despite having the fourth fastest time. The second row of the grid is made up of the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso, followed by the Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

Due to various penalties, a total of seven drivers will start the race from further back in the field. Lando Norris (McLaren), Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu (both Alfa Romeo) and Mick Schumacher (Haas) were also punished. On the traditional circuit in Belgium, overtaking maneuvers are easier than on other routes due to several high-speed sections, making a penalty easier to cope with. Verstappen will start the race from 14th place, Leclerc from grid position 15th.

“You can overtake here and we have tuned it so that we can have a really good top speed even in conjunction with DRS, and with that you should at least be able to get close to the podium,” said Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko. Before the 14th of 22 races of the season, Verstappen had a clear lead of 80 points over Leclerc in the overall standings.

The qualifying started with a 25-minute delay after a track barrier had to be repaired due to an accident in the Porsche Supercup.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Sainz on pole despite Verstappen's best time

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz starts the race from first place on the grid at the Formula 1 race in Belgium, as Max Verstappen has to start at the back of the grid.

Suggestions

Comments (0)