F1 qualifying duels after Belgium | Piastri wins at Spa, Max very fast

Max Verstappen beat Perez for the tenth time this season and, as has been the case more often this season, he did so quite comfortably with eight tenths difference. Charles Leclerc finished second in qualifying at Ardennes, extending his lead over his Spanish teammate to 8-4. Lewis Hamilton took the lead in the duel with George Russell after Hungary and thanks to his Friday in Belgium, he has now created some more air.

Esteban Ocon spoiled his qualifying by breaking his front wing in Q2, allowing Pierre Gasly to come alongside. Oscar Piastri had a good run at Spa-Francorchamps and was faster than Lando Norris for only the second time this season. Valtteri Bottas brought his lead past 7-4, after Guanyu Zhou already fell in Q1.

Fernando Alonso once again finished ahead of Lance Stroll, where Kevin Magnussen finished higher than Nico Hulkenberg. However, this was only because Hulkenberg could not set a fast lap due to hydraulic problems. We therefore do not count that 'win'. Yuki Tsunoda made it 1-1 against Daniel Ricciardo, although he was 'lucky' that Ricciardo's fastest time in Q1 was taken away due to track limits. Furthermore, Alexander Albon is still faultless in 2023.

F1 qualifying duels 2023 after Belgium

Verstappen 10-1 Perez*
Leclerc 8-4 Sainz
Hamilton 7-5 Russell
Ocon 6-6 Gasly
Norris 10-2 Piastri
Bottas 7-4 Zhou**
Alonso 10-2 Stroll
Magnussen 2-9 Hulkenberg*
Tsunoda 1-1 Ricciardo / Tsunoda 7-2 De Vries
Albon 12-0 Sargeant

*If drivers cannot take action in a session due to technical problems, we do not count this as a direct win by the other driver. So qualifying in Saudi Arabia does not count as a point for Perez, just as Magnussen does not get a point for Spa.

** If drivers are disqualified due to technical problems, we do not count this as a direct victory for the other driver. So qualifying in Silverstone does not count as a point for Zhou.