Charles Leclerc will start from pole at Spa but Red Bull has been resurrected thanks to the FIA’s rule change

Charles Leclerc will start from pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix. The Monegasque driver was not the fastest at Spa, but he put in a masterful final lap on his last attempt, on a rather wet track, to take second place and inherit the pole position that Max Verstappen will leave vacant.

But Leclerc’s comeback should not overshadow the fact that Red Bull has miraculously resurrected itself at Spa. As life goes by, the FIA ​​has decided to change the regulations in the middle of the year and Verstappen is back in first place with a huge differencewhile Sergio Pérez finished third. At least in the rain, Red Bull had no rival.

Miracle! With the change of rules, McLaren has disappeared and Red Bull is back in control

Leclerc will start first at Spa. The Ferrari driver put in a powerful lap in the final minutes of qualifying, improving on the rather wet track to move into second. The downside is that he was almost six tenths of the stratospheric 1:53.159 that Verstappen set.

And the great mystery that must be solved this Sunday is whether Red Bull’s superiority is due only to the rain or if we can confirm that, indeed, the FIA ​​has once again given them the advantage that their rivals had cut in a fair fight. Because it is not only Verstappen, but Perez finished third and will start second.

Verstappen will start from eleventh positionbut if he has a dry race, which he seemed to have in the rain, he will be in the lead before the middle of the race, passing the others as if they were driving cars from another category. Basically, what it was like at the start of the season and it seemed that he had been banished, until the FIA ​​came back to its old ways.

Surprisingly, McLaren has also disappearedwith Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in fifth and sixth place respectively, although they will gain one spot on the grid. Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes has slipped past them in fourth, while George Russell will start from seventh position.

Horrible qualifying for Carlos Sainz, who could only manage eighth, eight-tenths behind his teammate with the same Ferrari. Leclerc once again showed in difficult conditions that he makes the difference, and will start from pole position while Sainz will only start in seventh place due to Verstappen’s penalty.

Fernando Alonso also marked his territory with Lance Strollputting a second and a half on him in Q2. The Spaniard will start eighth despite having to qualify in Q3 without new intermediate tyres. At least he was able to beat Esteban Ocon, the surprise guest in the fight for pole with the Alpine.

Formula 1 GP Belgium 2024 qualifying results