Charles Leclerc secured his first pole position since the Monaco Grand Prix in May, marking a return to the top of the grid for the Ferrari driver in the Belgian Grand Prix. Joining him on the front row is Red Bull's Sergio Perez, who also hasn't graced the front row for some time.
The second row features an all-British contingent, with Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes alongside McLaren's Lando Norris. Following closely behind are the second McLaren of Hungarian race winner Oscar Piastri and the second Mercedes driven by George Russell.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz managed to secure seventh place on the grid, just ahead of his fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin. Completing the top ten are Esteban Ocon in the Alpine and Alex Albon in the Williams, both delivering impressive qualifying performances.
However, the qualifying session was overshadowed by Max Verstappen's grid penalty. Despite topping the qualifying timesheet, the championship leader will start from eleventh place after taking a new engine, incurring a five-place grid drop.
Adding to the Red Bull woes, Yuki Tsunoda will start from the back of the grid. Multiple new power unit components on his car mean he faces a hefty penalty. Joining him at the back is Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo, who will start three places further back after impeding Verstappen during Q1.
The Belgian Grand Prix promises to be an exciting affair, with Leclerc and Perez leading the charge from the front row and Verstappen starting from the midfield. The grid penalty for the championship leader adds another layer of intrigue to the race, leaving the door open for potential upsets and thrilling battles for the podium.
