Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc secured first place on the grid for the Formula 1 race in Belgium. In qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps, the Monegasque only finished second behind world championship leader Max Verstappen.
However, Leclerc will benefit from a penalty for the Red Bull driver, who will be penalized by five places at the Grand Prix on Sunday (3 p.m. / Sky).
The reason for this is another gearbox change on Verstappen’s car. The Dutchman has thus already exceeded the number of four gearboxes permitted per season. In the hunt for a starting position, Verstappen was once again clearly the fastest. “That was the best thing I could do today,” said the 25-year-old. Behind Leclerc, Sergio Pérez finished third in the second Red Bull, making it onto the front row of the grid.
Going into the twelfth round of the season, Verstappen leads the overall standings by 110 points over Pérez. The double world champion has recently won seven races in a row.
Hulkenberg in last place
Because of the constant rain, the organizers had had to worry about qualifying for a long time. After two fatal accidents in junior series when appearing in Spa in recent years, Formula 1 is also debating the safety of the track in the rain. But just in time for the start hunt, the clouds tore up and the sun even came out.
But that didn’t help Nico Hülkenberg. Due to a problem with the hydraulics on his Haas, the Rhinelander didn’t come out of the pits in time for a fast lap and ended up last.
The 35-year-old has a new chance on Saturday. Then a sprint race and a qualification are planned in advance. However, rainy weather is forecast again.
