Max Verstappen was an incredible eight-tenths faster than the rest of the field in qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix.
After narrowly avoiding elimination in Q2, the reigning world champion obliterated the field in Q3, posting a 1m46.168s in drying conditions at Spa-Francorchamps.
Unfortunately for Verstappen, a five-place grid penalty for a new gearbox will drop him to P6, promoting second-placed Charles Leclerc up to pole position.
Q1
The start of qualifying was delayed by 10 minutes as the FIA tracked a heavy rain storm that narrowly missed the circuit.
Once the green light was shown, a flood of cars headed out on intermediates as the sun emerged over Spa.
That meant lap times improved dramatically across the 18 minutes as the track dried out, leading to a late dash to make Q2.
Leclerc went from the brink of elimination to fastest for Ferrari with his final run, two-tenths clear of Verstappen.
In the bottom five, Williams’ high expectations were dashed by the rain as Alex Albon was only 16th and Logan Sargeant 18th.
Zhou Guanyu claimed 17th, with Daniel Ricciardo 19th after having his final flying lap deleted for track limits at Raidillon.
Nico Hulkenberg brought up the rear for Haas.
Q2
Intermediates were still the tyre initially in Q2 despite dry lines appearing on the high-speed sections of the track.
All teams took the gamble on soft slicks for the second run but it wasn’t until the final minute that lap times began to improve.
Verstappen survived a major scare as he only managed 10th, while Oscar Piastri finished fastest for McLaren.
Yuki Tsunoda was the unlucky driver knocked out in P11, ahead of Pierre Gasly in 12th.
Kevin Magnussen in 13th and Esteban Ocon in 15th both tagged the barrier at Turn 9, with Valtteri Bottas between them in 14th.
Q3
With the track continuing to dry, Leclerc set the pace in his Ferrari, a tenth ahead of Verstappen after the first runs.
The Dutchman, however, was back to his usual self this season on the second run with a stunning lap to destroy the field by eight-tenths of a second.
Leclerc remained second, inheriting pole position for Sunday’s race after Max’s grid drop. Sergio Perez moved up to third in the second Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton snatched a strong fourth in a Mercedes that struggled for pace throughout, as highlighted by teammate George Russell only finishing eighth.
Carlos Sainz was fifth, followed by Piastri in sixth, three-tenths ahead of Lando Norris in the second McLaren, who suffered damage in an off during Q1.
Russell and the two Aston Martins completed the top 10 with Fernando Alonso leading Lance Stroll.