Max Verstappen put his car well over six tenths ahead of the rest of the field in just one run during qualifying. However, there is one small problem: the Red Bull Racing driver has been relegated to fifteenth place due to a grid penalty, and he has quite a bit of catching up to do.
Big show of strength from Verstappen
Verstappen crushed the competition in qualifying, after coming on strong in all free practice sessions. He has to hand pole position to his old teammate Carlos Sainz, who will start from the front row alongside Sergio Perez. Verstappen will start the race from P15, just ahead of title rival Charles Leclerc.
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The two rivals will have to catch up. Bizarrely, Verstappen is still seen as the big favourite for the win, despite his fifteenth starting position. The Dutchman's pace was so superior that several drivers already expressed the expectation that they will see Verstappen pass them within a few laps.
Ferrari and Mercedes hope for better race pace
Meanwhile, Ferrari made yet another blunder by fitting Leclerc with the wrong set of tyres during Q3. This may have cost him a better lap time, but because of the grid penalties the Monegasque ultimately lost just one position to Verstappen on the grid. Mercedes also expected more from qualifying. The German team came to Spa-Francorchamps in high spirits, but saw that the gap to the front-runners had widened. Can Lewis Hamilton and George Russell do anything during the race? Or will Verstappen knock on the door after just a few laps?