Summary

  • Verstappen fastest but will start 11th after grid penalty for taking new power unit

  • Leclerc to start on pole, Perez on front row

  • Hamilton to start P3, P4 Norris, P5 Piastri

  • Albon, Gasly, Ricciardo, Bottas & Stroll eliminated in Q2

  • Hulkenburg, Magnussen, Tsunoda, Sargeant & Guanyu out in Q1

Live Reporting

Lorraine McKenna

  1. Drop zone

    11. George Russell

    12. Pierre Gasly

    13. Charles Leclerc

    14. Valtteri Bottas

    15. Lance Stroll

  2. The McLaren of Lando Norris pushes Alex Albon down the order with a new quickest time of 1:53.857. But the Briton's marker is beaten by the Red Bull Verstappen - six tenths the difference between the pair. The Dutchman is into the 1:53s now.

  3. With the Spa-Francorchamps circuit so long, it can be dry in one sector and raining in another. The intermediate tyres are still required but the times are dropping. Alex Albon is fastest man so far with a 1:54/724 in the Williams.

  4. 'Form guide all over the place'

    Marc Priestley
    Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    This is what happens in conditions like this – it swings so much so the form guide is all over the place.

    It is famously difficult to call the weather in Spa, it is spread over such a big area.

  5. CarsGetty Images

    Are the conditions dry? Max Verstappen informs his Red Bull pit wall he thinks it's raining just a little bit as this Q2 session begins.

  6. Go! Go! Go!

    There was an angry radio message from Sergio Perez at the end of Q1, as the Mexican felt the team was not ready with the tyres, compromising his session.

  7. Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly and Max Verstappen were the quickest three drivers in Q1.

  8. 'Good drives in difficult conditions'

    Marc Priestley
    Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    I think there were a number of good drives in some very difficult conditions.

  9. Yuki TsunodaGetty Images

    Yuki Tsunoda ends his session in 18th place but it doesn't matter, the RB driver was starting at the back of the grid for tomorrow's Belgian Grand Prix anyway.

  10. Out in Q1

    Nico HulkenburgReuters

    16. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

    17. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

    18. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)

    19. Logan Sargeant (Williams)

    20. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)

  11. Nico Hulkenberg gets out of the bottom five, so too does Sauber's Valtteri Bottas. Lando Norris was sweating slightly but the McLaren is also safely through to Q2.

  12. A slow-moving Lewis Hamilton makes sure he doesn't impede his team-mate towards the end of the lap. George Russell makes it to the line and goes up into third place on the timesheets.

    Max Verstappen is furious with Zhou Guanyu. He thinks he was blocked by the Sauber driver. Stewards have noted the incident.

  13. Two minutes to go

    Lando Norris has vacated his spot in the danger zone and handed it over to George Russell. The Mercedes man makes it up the hill and is making his way to the Kemmel Straight. Time is slipping away, but lucky for Russell, this is a very long lap at Spa.

  14. Lando NorrisGetty Images

    Fernando Alonso was just on the cusp of the snake pit in P15 but the Spaniard sets a decent lap to sit in sixth place now.

    Lando Norris needs a jolt to rescue his Belgian Grand Prix qualifying, as the Briton is currently stuck down in the dumps in P17.

    'Phew' for McLaren. Norris is up to fifth place.

  15. 'A very busy race track'

    Marc Priestley
    Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    Around half the field are on out-laps, they are all on the intermediates.

    It’s a very busy race track.

  16. Five minutes to go

    The green intermediates are still bolted on for this Q1 session but conversations about when to switch to the slick tyres are happening up and down the pit wall.

    Lewis Hamilton goes P3 on his latest lap, while Max Verstappen has returned to the top of the timesheets.

  17. Danger zone

    16. Kevin Magnussen

    17. Alex Albon

    18. Nico Hulkenberg

    19. Logan Sargeant

    20. Lance Stroll

  18. This is now or never for a new set of intermediates, Lando Norris is told by his engineer.

    Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo leaps all the way up to second on the timesheets, which then becomes P4 after Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc better his time.

    Piastri is the fastest man at the moment.

  19. Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda have dropped into the elimination zone. Will this be a double knockout for RB?

    Logan Sargeant, Zhou Guanyu and Lance Stroll are also in the bottom five.

  20. Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are running a special Deadpool and Wolverine livery this weekend - which looks great. Gasly is the quicker of the French pair and is sitting just behind leader Max Verstappen in second place with a 1:56.757.