Belgian GP final starting grid | Leclerc P1, Hamilton P3, Verstappen 11th
Despite finishing P1 in qualifying yesterday, Max Verstappen will officially start the Belgian Grand Prix from P11. The FIA just announced the final starting grid for the race at Spa-Francorchamps, and we see no further surprises. As a result, Charles Leclerc, who finished behind the Dutchman, will start in first.
Compared to the result in qualifying - as already announced on Friday - only Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda have been moved back a few places on the grid. Consequently, Verstappen does not start from P1, but from P11. So the sixth row of the grid for the Red Bull Racing driver. Leclerc takes over pole position from Verstappen, and Sergio Pérez also gets to start from the front row of the grid alongside the Monegasque driver.
Behind Leclerc and Perez is an all-British second row, with Lewis Hamilton looking to challenge from third place at the start of the race, and Lando Norris in the McLaren, who many think will be the fastest car around Spa in the dry conditions today, will start in P4, ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri in P5
Tsunoda made things a bit more crazy. Not only did he change his internal combustion engine, but also other engine components. It earned the Japanese driver of Visa Cash App RB a grid penalty of 60 (!) places, which logically means that the 24-year-old will start from the back of the grid.
The current World Championship number 12 finished 18th in qualifying on Saturday. He was quite a bit slower than teammate Daniel Ricciardo, but it is plausible that Tsunoda opted for more of a 'race setup' as he already knew he would start from the back today.