Charles Leclerc will be first on the starting grid for the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, after Max Verstappen, who claimed pole position in qualifying, but was handed a five-place grid penalty at Spa.
Verstappen blew away the opposition in qualifying, and was 0.800s ahead of Leclerc’s Ferrari, but will start in sixth after replacing the gearbox on his Red Bull.
The sister Red Bull of Sergio Perez has therefore been moved to second on the grid, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes who starts third.
McLaren’s resurgence continued as Oscar Piastri starts fifth and Lando Norris in seventh, with the Australian also coming off the back of a second place finish in Saturday’s F1 Sprint.
Kevin Magnussen in the Haas was given a three-place grid drop after impeding Leclerc during qualifying.
2023 Belgian GP starting grid
| Pos | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 2 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 6 | Max Verstappen* | Red Bull |
| 7 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 8 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| 10 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine |
| 15 | Alex Albon | Williams |
| 16 | Kevin Magnussen* | Haas |
| 17 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo |
| 18 | Logan Sargeant | Williams |
| 19 | Daniel Ricciardo | AlphaTauri |
| 20 | Nico Hulkenberg* | Haas |
- Verstappen – 5 place grid penalty – replacement gearbox
- Magnussen – 3 place grid penalty – impeding another driver
- Hulkenberg – Starts from the pit lane
