F1 starting grid: Carlos Sainz claims pole position for Belgian Grand Prix

Q3 results: Max Verstappen had the fastest run in Q3, but he will move to the back of the starting grid due to a pre-qualifying penalty. Carlos Sainz had the second fastest time and will start Sunday’s race in the pole position. Sergio Perez follows Sainz. Charles Leclerc and Esteban Ocon finished fourth and fifth, respectively, but will drop to the back of the field. We’ve posted the starting grid at the bottom of the page, reflecting the penalty movement.

Q2 results: Charles Leclerc finished Q2 strong surpassing Max Verstappen in the closing seconds to secure the fastest result. The five slowest were Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Guanyu Zhou, Lance Stroll, and Mick Schumacher. They will start ahead of the Q1 eliminated drivers and the penalized drivers.

Q1 results: Max Verstappen had the fastest lap in the first qualifying period, although he will start near the back of the grid due to a penalty. The five slowest in Q1 were Sebastian Vettel, Nicholas Latifi, Kevin Magnussen, Yuki Tsunoda, and Valtteri Bottas. They will start in the final five positions ahead of a group of drivers penalized ahead of qualifying.

Formula One racing has arrived in Stavelot this weekend for the Belgian Grand Prix. The race will occur on Sunday, August 28 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, getting underway at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2. It will be available for live stream at WatchESPN.

The day prior, qualifying will take place at 10 a.m. ET., also on ESPN 2. The 20 drivers will face off for an hour of racing to establish the fastest time and secure pole position. F1 qualifying is broken up into three stages. The first 20 minutes will eliminate five drivers, and the next 15 minutes will eliminate five more. That will leave the remaining ten competing for pole position in Sunday’s race.

Several drivers, including Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, Mick Schumacher, took penalties ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, setting them to the back of Sunday’s starting grid. With those shakeups, Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton are co-favorites at +275 odds to win the race.

Here is the full entry list for Saturday’s Belgian Grand Prix as qualifying gets underway. We’ll provide updates with each driver’s time and how the starting lineup settles.