This means that Charles Leclerc from Ferrari will take the top starting position on the grid, closely followed by Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes after a one-hour qualifying session, divided into three parts where five cars are eliminated in Q1 and Q2, leading up to the top-10 battle in Q3.
Starting Grid for Belgian Grand Prix: Leclerc Takes Pole Ahead of Perez
Summary of Belgian Grand Prix Q1
Despite a damp track and forecasted rain, teams were eager to get their cars on the track as quickly as possible at the session’s start.
Using intermediate tyres, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri set an early benchmark with a time of 1m57.411s on his first lap, which was quickly eclipsed by Verstappen’s 1m56.003s.
Piastri remained out as the track began to dry, improving to 1m55.549s and retaking first position with six minutes to go, only for Verstappen to reclaim it with a 1m54.938s.
However, Piastri wouldn’t back down, posting a time of 1m54.835s on his second set of inters during his final stint, finishing just 0.076s ahead of a strong performance by Pierre Gasly of Alpine, and a tenth ahead of Verstappen.
The two Haas drivers, Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, along with Yuki Tsunoda (who will start at the back), Logan Sargeant (Williams), and Zhou Guanyu (Sauber), faced elimination in the first round.
Q1 Results: Piastri Tops Ahead of Gasly
| Position | Car No. | Driver | Car / Engine | Time | Gap | Laps |
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren/Mercedes | 1’54.835 | 9 | |
| 2 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine/Renault | 1’54.911 | 0.076 | 9 |
| 3 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull/Honda RBPT | 1’54.938 | 0.103 | 8 |
| 4 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull/Honda RBPT | 1’55.139 | 0.304 | 9 |
| 5 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1’55.169 | 0.334 | 9 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1’55.349 | 0.514 | 8 |
| 7 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1’55.353 | 0.518 | 8 |
| 8 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine/Renault | 1’55.417 | 0.582 | 9 |
| 9 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB/Honda RBPT | 1’55.451 | 0.616 | 8 |
| 10 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin/Mercedes | 1’55.489 | 0.654 | 9 |
| 11 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber/Ferrari | 1’55.531 | 0.696 | 9 |
| 12 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren/Mercedes | 1’55.582 | 0.747 | 10 |
| 13 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1’55.692 | 0.857 | 8 |
| 14 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams/Mercedes | 1’55.722 | 0.887 | 9 |
| 15 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin/Mercedes | 1’56.072 | 1.237 | 9 |
| 16 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas/Ferrari | 1’56.308 | 1.473 | 9 |
| 17 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas/Ferrari | 1’56.500 | 1.665 | 9 |
| 18 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB/Honda RBPT | 1’56.593 | 1.758 | 8 |
| 19 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams/Mercedes | 1’57.230 | 2.395 | 8 |
| 20 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber/Ferrari | 1’57.775 | 2.940 | 9 |
Summary of Belgian Grand Prix Q2
Sticking with intermediates due to ongoing light rain, Verstappen clocked in at 1m53.857s on his maiden flying lap despite a moment of oversteer at Stavelot. Hamilton secured P2, trailing Verstappen by just two tenths on a late flying lap.
Eliminated at this stage were Alex Albon (Williams), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Daniel Ricciardo (RB), Valtteri Bottas (Sauber), and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin).
Q2 Results: Verstappen Sets Fastest Time Ahead of Hamilton
| Position | Car No. | Driver | Car / Engine | Time | Gap | Laps |
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull/Honda RBPT | 1’53.837 | 7 | |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1’54.037 | 0.200 | 8 |
| 3 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1’54.095 | 0.258 | 8 |
| 4 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1’54.112 | 0.275 | 8 |
| 5 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren/Mercedes | 1’54.136 | 0.299 | 7 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1’54.193 | 0.356 | 8 |
| 7 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin/Mercedes | 1’54.258 | 0.421 | 8 |
| 8 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren/Mercedes | 1’54.358 | 0.521 | 8 |
| 9 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine/Renault | 1’54.460 | 0.623 | 8 |
| 10 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull/Honda RBPT | 1’54.470 | 0.633 | 7 |
| 11 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams/Mercedes | 1’54.473 | 0.636 | 7 |
| 12 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine/Renault | 1’54.635 | 0.798 | 8 |
| 13 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB/Honda RBPT | 1’54.682 | 0.845 | 6 |
| 14 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber/Ferrari | 1’54.764 | 0.927 | 8 |
| 15 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin/Mercedes | 1’55.716 | 1.879 | 8 |
Summary of Belgian Grand Prix Q3
During the opening runs, Verstappen recorded a time of 1m53.159s, leading by a margin of six tenths, with Perez and Hamilton following closely behind.
In the concluding runs, Leclerc held onto his fresh set of intermediates for the final moments, and surged from P8 to seize second place. Verstappen was unable to improve on his last lap.
Leclerc’s time was 0.595s shy of Verstappen but a mere one hundredth ahead of Perez, who will occupy the second position on the front row.
Hamilton will start from third, with Lando Norris (McLaren), Piastri, George Russell (Mercedes), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), and Esteban Ocon (Alpine) following him.
Q3 Results: Verstappen Fastest, Leclerc Secures Pole
| Position | Car No. | Driver | Car / Engine | Time | Gap | Laps |
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull/Honda RBPT | 1’53.159 | 6 | |
| 2 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1’53.754 | 0.595 | 6 |
| 3 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull/Honda RBPT | 1’53.765 | 0.606 | 5 |
| 4 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1’53.835 | 0.676 | 6 |
| 5 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren/Mercedes | 1’53.981 | 0.822 | 6 |
| 6 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren/Mercedes | 1’54.027 | 0.868 | 7 |
| 7 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1’54.184 | 1.025 | 6 |
| 8 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1’54.477 | 1.318 | 6 |
| 9 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin/Mercedes | 1’54.765 | 1.606 | 6 |
| 10 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine/Renault | 1’54.810 | 1.651 | 6 |
