Max Verstappen beat Oscar Piastri to Sprint pole by just 0.011s; Carlos Sainz was only 0.025s back from the world championship leader in third;watch the Belgian GP Sprint live on Sky Sports F1 at 3:30pm on Saturday, with build-up from 2:30pm
Last Updated: 29/07/23 12:56pm
Max Verstappen edged out Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz to top a dramatic Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Shootout.
After heavy rain delayed the scheduled start of the session by 35 minutes, Red Bull’s Verstappen denied McLaren rookie Piastri a maiden Sprint pole by just 0.011s.
In a dramatic finale on the drying surface, Ferrari’s Sainz in third was only 0.025s back from world championship leader Verstappen, who has put himself in prime position to win the 15-lap Sprint later on Saturday.
Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari ahead of Piastri’s McLaren team-mate Lando Norris, who the Australian will be pleased to have scored a rare qualifying victory over.
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Lewis Hamilton missed out on a chance on the front row after a near miss with his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who locked up at Turn One.
Pierre Gasly was sixth for Alpine, with Lewis Hamilton seventh for Mercedes having appeared to be in contention for pole before being held up on his final flying lap by team-mate George Russell, who finished 10th.
Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, who is 110 points back from the Dutchman as his nearest challenger in the drivers’ standings
Esteban Ocon was ninth to ensure both Alpines were in the top 10, with the French team benefitting from a double Aston Martin exit in Q2 as Lance Stroll’s crash resulted in his team-mate Fernando Alonso being knocked out.
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An incident between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton was noted by the stewards for possible impeding, but it was decided no further action was necessary.
Belgian GP Sprint Shootout Result
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5) Lando Norris, McLaren
6) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
7) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
8) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
9) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
10) George Russell, Mercedes
More to follow…
Belgian GP Sprint Shootout Timesheet
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:49.056 |
| 2) Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.011 |
| 3) Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +0.025 |
| 4) Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.195 |
| 5) Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.333 |
| 6) Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.644 |
| 7) Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +0.844 |
| 8) Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +0.905 |
| 9) Esteban Ocon | Alpine | +1.438 |
| 10) George Russell | Mercedes | +6.686 |
| Out in SQ2 | ||
| 11) Daniel Ricciardo | AlphaTauri | 1:57.687 |
| 12) Alex Albon | Williams | No time |
| 13) Logan Sargeant | Williams | No time |
| 14) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | No time |
| 15) Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | No time |
| Out in SQ1 | ||
| 16) Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 2:00:568 |
| 17) Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 2:00:951 |
| 18) Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 2:01:079 |
| 19) Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 2:01:430 |
| 20) Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | No time |