F1 Belgian Grand Prix 2024: Max Verstappen is fastest in qualifying but won’t start from pole position

Charles Leclerc, who was second fastest in qualifying will lead the pack on race day, July 28. He will be joined by Red Bulls Sergio Perez in the front row.

Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen has the Belgian Grand Prix despite grid penalties in the past

Max Verstappen has won the Belgian Grand Prix thrice consecutively from 2021, with 2023’s victory coming even though he was not in pole position. Could the Dutchman repeat the magic yet again in 2024? Verstappen, who has had a less than stellar racing season so far, winning only 7 of the 13 races, was looking at a potential 8th after a blazing qualifying session on July 27, clocking 1 minute 53.159 seconds, which was half a second faster than Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari.

And yet, Verstappen will not start the race on July 28 from the front row. Red Bull’s lead driver will start at P11, after he was handed a 10-grid penalty for an engine change. Interestingly, a year ago at the Belgian Grand Prix, Leclerc got pole position after Verstappen received a grid penalty, and yet the latter went on to win the race.

F1 Belgian Grand Prix 2024: When and where to watch last race before summer break

Red Bull, which is still leading the Constructors’ Championship points tally, with Ferrari only 51 points behind, has Sergio Perez starting the race at P2, and should he be able to hold on to it, despite the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz, etc. not far behind, the team could still remain at the top after 14 races. With both Ferrari drivers starting the race in the top 10, the fight in the Constructors’ Championship is getting interesting.

Verstappen, meanwhile, still has healthy lead over Norris and third place holder Leclerc, and should be able to consolidate on that with 10 races to go after this in the season. The Belgian Grand Prix is the last race before the summer break. The teams have a mandatory 2 week shut down, during the almost month-long break. They will return for the Dutch Grand Prix during the weekend of August 23-25.

Catch all the action from race day at the Belgian Grand Prix 2024 online with FanCode.

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