Verstappen dominates wet Belgian GP Qualifying, Leclerc inherits pole

Q1: Piastri Impresses

The Belgian Grand Prix qualifying kicked off under wet conditions, with teams rushing to get their drivers on track.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri set the initial pace on intermediate tires, posting a 1m57.411s.

Max Verstappen quickly asserted his dominance, setting a 1m56.003s that seemed untouchable.

As the track evolved, Piastri fought back, improving to 1m55.549s to briefly reclaim the top spot.

Verstappen responded with a 1m54.938s, but Piastri wasn't done. On a fresh set of intermediates, the Australian rookie set a stunning 1m54.835s, finishing 0.076s ahead of a surprisingly quick Pierre Gasly in the Alpine.

The challenging conditions proved too much for some, with both HAAS cars of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen eliminated.

They were joined by Yuki Tsunoda (RB), Logan Sargeant (Williams), and Zhou Guanyu (Sauber) in the bottom five.

Q2: Verstappen stamps his authority

As Q2 began, the track continued to dry, but not enough for slick tires. Verstappen immediately showed his pace, setting a 1m53.650s that put him comfortably at the top of the timesheet.

The Red Bull driver improved further to 1m53.571s, showcasing his mastery of the tricky conditions.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc emerged as Verstappen's closest challenger, but still found himself over half a second adrift.

The battle for the final Q3 spots intensified in the closing minutes, with drivers pushing to the limit on the gradually improving track.

Alpine's Esteban Ocon managed to scrape through in tenth, while his teammate Pierre Gasly missed out in 12th.

Daniel Ricciardo, in his return to F1 with RB, showed promise but fell short in 13th.

Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll completed the list of drivers eliminated in Q2.

Q3: Verstappen in another league Leclerc inherits pole

The final segment of qualifying saw drivers grappling with a track on the cusp of being ready for slick tires.

Verstappen continued his dominant form, setting a blistering 1m53.159s on his first run.

This time would remain unbeaten, securing him the fastest lap of the session.

Charles Leclerc put in a strong performance to finish second, 0.595s behind Verstappen.

Sergio Perez managed to salvage third place for Red Bull, narrowly edging out Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes.

The McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked out the third row, showcasing the team's continued progress.

As the checkered flag fell, attention turned to the implications of Verstappen's grid penalty.

The Dutch driver's masterclass in wet weather driving was tempered by the knowledge he would start 11th, promoting Leclerc to pole position for Sunday's race.