Max Verstappen will start the Belgium Grand Prix from pole position following a dramatic end to a rain-soaked qualifying session at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday.
Following a red flag during Q3 when Lando Norris lost control of his McLaren, the Dutch driver snatched pole from the Williams of George Russell with his final flying lap. Red Bull Racing Honda teammate Sergio Perez will start from seventh on the grid.
Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda driver Pierre Gasly also excelled in testing conditions as he qualified in sixth, while Japanese teammate Yuki Tsunoda will begin Sunday’s race from 17th place.
Red Bull Racing Honda
MAX VERSTAPPEN – 1st
“I am very happy with pole position here at a home Grand Prix, but it was not easy out there. It was very hard to nail a lap, I was just trying to find the right lines at the right times and judging how fast to go into corners after such a long red flag was tricky. It was so important to get the tyres up to temperature because that could give you a few seconds of lap time around a long track like this. Tomorrow we don’t know if it will be a dry or wet start, I think if it’s wet I don’t mind if I start first because at least I should have clear vision but I just hope that we have a good and clean start. I also hope that Lando is feeling okay and that he doesn’t have any serious injuries because that didn’t look like a good impact at all, he’s a good friend of mine so I hope he can race tomorrow.”
SERGIO PEREZ – 7th
“I’m very disappointed with my qualifying as our car was performing well, there was plenty of pace in it and a much better position was possible today. With the changing weather conditions it was tough out there and so the final lap was going to be critical but unfortunately I wasn’t able to improve. It’s a shame but I’m still looking forward to tomorrow as with the weather anything can happen and so there’s plenty of opportunities. The Team is doing a strong job and provided we can stay out of trouble tomorrow then we should be in pretty good shape and able to fight for a strong result. I’m also pleased to see Lando was able to get out of the car after his accident and hope he’s okay. We discussed Eau Rouge in the drivers’ meeting on Friday and raised our concerns so I really hope to see some solutions for next year. It’s something that we definitely have to improve because in conditions like today, if we have a wet race tomorrow, it’s not a place where drivers want to have contact, especially considering it is a blind spot.”
CHRISTIAN HORNER – Team Principal
“It was a good session and a strong qualifying for us with our first pole position at Spa for 10 years. Both drivers did a great job, Max’s ninth pole, seventh for Checo and on our 50th Grand Prix with Honda as well, so it was a fantastic performance on a very difficult day. Max has always been very strong in the wet, he made a mistake on his first lap but absolutely nailed his second lap, so it is now crucial that we convert this into good points tomorrow. It looks like the weather could be similar to today, but at least if it is wet we have some visibility by starting at the front and both drivers have managed to retain a set of inters. I think we are the only team in the top 10 to have managed that, so we have that up our sleeve. More importantly however it was a relief to see Lando walk away from his big accident at the beginning of Q3 and hopefully he is able to race tomorrow.”
Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda
PIERRE GASLY – 6th
“It’s been a fun afternoon, I really enjoy driving in these conditions, you don’t know what you’re going to get on track, and you have to try to be at the limit of what the car can do. It’s another great Quali for us, finishing in P6, and I think we’re in a good position for the race tomorrow. It was tricky out there today and I’m glad to see that Lando got out of the car and is ok. I have no idea what the weather will be like tomorrow, it’s been so changeable the whole weekend, so I’ll open the curtains in the morning and see what we get!”
YUKI TSUNODA – 17th
“I’ve been aiming to steadily build up my speed and confidence in the car across this weekend and I think I’ve done this well, building it up through the practice sessions. However, today the conditions in Qualifying were definitely not easy, especially as I don’t have a lot of experience driving in the wet in a Formula 1 car. I’m disappointed to have not made it through to Q2, as the pace in the car was definitely there, but I just wasn’t fast enough to make it through. I think we need to hope for mixed conditions in the race tomorrow to allow me to move up through the pack.”
JONATHAN EDDOLLS – Chief Race Engineer
“Yesterday our package appeared reasonably competitive. However, with the weather forecast for today and tomorrow being quite variable, the set up related decisions overnight and after FP3 have not been straightforward. Nevertheless, the team was able to progress further again today and take another step up, which is positive. Pierre has put a strong performance in across the weekend so far, being competitive in every session and making Q3 today, securing 6th on the grid. He has demonstrated the package is working quite well in today’s difficult conditions. On Yuki’s side of the garage, progress has also been made but unfortunately, in the tricky conditions in Qualifying, he was not able to put his best lap together and, as a result, he did not make it out of Q1. It’s frustrating for the team, as Q2 was a realistic target. Looking forward to the race tomorrow, the weather may continue to be variable, so we need to stay focused on getting Yuki into the midfield battle.”