When the favorites got the penalty shootout, Mercedes had the opportunity to take center stage and take a big step towards victory.
But the former champion team was not there.
Carlos Sainz’s position from pole position for Ferrari.
World Championship leader Max Verstappen, Red Bull’s fastest ever during qualifying for the Belgium GP, had a penalty in the engine. The same goes for Charles Leclerc’s rival, Ferrari. That means they both start down at the Grand Prix on Sunday.
The penalty shootout opened up many contenders, and Mercedes, chasing its first win of the year, had high hopes – but failed to deliver. Lewis Hamilton was 1.8 seconds off the lead.
pole position switch
Instead, it was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who finished first as he stared ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Albin veteran Fernando Alonso.
– I’m happy to get first place, but not with the fact that we were so far behind Max. “We have to figure out why we lost compared to them,” Carlos Sainz said after qualifying.
– I know we are faster in the whole race, compared to the qualifying session, but I still wonder how it will be tomorrow. First place is a good place to start and we will try to win the race.
So the difference begins
With seven drivers on engine penalties, the starting order won’t sound like qualifying results. Max Verstappen, who was the fastest in qualifying, will start on the 15th grid and have a good chance of taking a podium spot on the seven kilometer roller coaster in Belgium.
It was a great qualifier, I’m really looking forward to tomorrow even if we start a lot later, says Verstappen, who was six-tenths ahead of Sainz.
The following drivers are likely to start in the top ten at the Belgium GP:
Sainz (Ferrari), Perez (Red Bull), Alonso (Albin), Hamilton (Mercedes), Russell (Mercedes), Albon (Williams), Ricciardo (McLaren) and Gasly (Alvatore), Stroll (Aston Martin) and Vettel (Aston Martin) . Max Verstappen (Red Bull) is expected to start on grid 15 and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) on grid 16.
