Max Verstappen topped Qualifying at Spa Francorchamps, but a grid penalty handed pole position to Charles Leclerc for 2024 Belgian Grand Prix.
Verstappen dominated FP3 and Qualifying in wet conditions, which saw limited running in the former session due to torrential rainfall and low visibility.
A ten-place grid penalty for exceeding his Internal Combustion Engine allowance however cost Verstappen pole, which will instead go to Leclerc ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
FP3
With rain beginning to fall just moments before the session began, Max Verstappen was first out on track on intermediates and set 2m 03.232 in the fifth minute.
He then found 1.667 seconds on his next lap to lower the benchmark to 2m 01.565 as the rain begun to rapidly worsen, which ultimately caused a red flag in the 12th minute after Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll aquaplaned at Raidillon.
The Canadian walked away unharmed and the session resumed ninth minute later but nobody ventured back onto the circuit, with Verstappen sat top from Oscar Piastri and Pierre Gasly on the timesheet.
Stewards eventually threw a second red flag in the 35th minute due to dangerous track conditions, with streams of standing water running across the circuit and the action didn’t resume before the checkered flag fell.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 2m 01.565 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | + 1.433 |
| 3 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | + 1.610 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | + 1.807 |
| 5 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | + 3.685 |
| 6 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | + 4.468 |
| 7 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | + 4.472 |
| 8 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber | + 4.927 |
| 9 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | + 5.186 |
| 10 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | + 5.538 |
| 11 | Alex Albon | Williams | + 5.878 |
| 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | + 6.475 |
| 13 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | + 6.506 |
| 14 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB | + 6.845 |
| 15 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB | + 7.879 |
| 16 | Guanyu Zhou | Sauber | + 9.544 |
| 17 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | + 9.655 |
| 18 | George Russell | Mercedes | No Time |
| 19 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | No Time |
| 20 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | No Time |
Qualifying
Q1
Norris was first out on track amidst threat of further rain and the Brit set a 1m 58.894 as the benchmark time, but Verstappen soon set the pace with 1m 56.003 in the seventh minute. on intermediate tyres
Once everyone set a lap time come the eighth minute, Norris headed the bottom five ahead of; Zhou, Stroll, Bottas and Sargeant, as everyone continued to circulate on a drying circuit amidst quick stops for fresh intermediate tyres.
As the checkered flag fell, Zhou qualified slowest and was joined on the last row by Sargeant, with Tsunoda only 18th fastest behind Haas’ Hulkenberg and Magnussen who qualified 16th and 17th respectively.
Piastri topped the opening segment of Qualifying with 1m 54.835 from Gasly and Verstappen.
Q2
Albon was first to exit the pits and set 1m 54.724 as the benchmark time which only Verstappen and Norris beat in the opening runs, whilst Russell, Gasly, Leclerc, Bottas and Stroll found themselves in the elimination zone.
Russell and Leclerc however got themselves into the top-ten on their second flying laps, amidst another flurry of mid-session pit-stops for new intermediate tyres.
Once the checkered flag fell, Stroll and Bottas qualified 15th and 14th respectively behind Ricciardo and Gasly, whilst Albon missed out on Q3 to Perez by just 0.003s but will at least start 10th due to Verstappen’s ten-place grid penalty.
Q3
Mercedes’ Hamilton and Russell were first out on track in the final segment of Qualifying, as drizzle fell at the higher peaks of the circuit.
Hamilton set 1m 54.011 in the fifth minute but his time was beaten by Perez who went top by 0.159s, only for Verstappen to deliver 1m 53.159 to put himself on course for pole prior to application of his ten-place grid penalty.
Piastri was 0.016s shy of third-placed Hamilton but ahead of Russell, Norris, Sainz, Leclerc, Alonso and Ocon who rounded out the top-ten upon completion of first flying laps.
Both Mercedes and McLaren drivers stayed out on their intermediate tyres whilst others pitted, but only Norris improved in position, as the Brit moved up to fourth ahead of Piastri.
Verstappen ultimately topped Qualifying as barely anyone improved in the final minutes, except Leclerc who moved up to second to claim pole due to Verstappen’s penalty dropping him to 11th on the grid.
Perez will join Leclerc on the front row with Hamilton and Norris on second row, ahead of; Piastri, Russell, Sainz, Alonso and Ocon who fill the top nine grid slots.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1m 53.159 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | + 0.595 |
| 3 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | + 0.606 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | + 0.676 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | + 0.822 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | + 0.868 |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes | + 1.025 |
| 8 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | + 1.318 |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | + 1.606 |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | + 1.651 |
| 11 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1m 54.473 |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | + 0.162 |
| 13 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB | + 0.209 |
| 14 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber | + 0.291 |
| 15 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | + 1.243 |
| 16 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 1m 56.308 |
| 17 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | + 0.192 |
| 18 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB | + 0.285 |
| 19 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | + 0.922 |
| 20 | Guanyu Zhou | Sauber | + 1.467 |
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