Verstappen topped qualifying from Ferrari driver Leclerc on Friday, but Red Bull’s championship leader will start from sixth after fitting a fifth gearbox of the season.
But a dominant performance in Saturday’s rain-shortened sprint, which he also started from the front after defeating sprint race adversary Oscar Piastri, means Verstappen remains the odds-on favourite heading into Sunday.
Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez will start from the front row after a sprint race collision with Lewis Hamilton, who starts third, that led to his retirement. Hamilton earned a five-second penalty for the contact, which demoted him from fourth to seventh in the 11-lap race.
Carlos Sainz will start fourth on the grid in the second Ferrari ahead of McLaren’s Piastri, who admitted after placing second to Verstappen in the sprint that he was “no match” for the Red Bull.
Behind Verstappen, Lando Norris will line up seventh for McLaren with George Russell, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll completing the top 10.
Both Aston Martin drivers failed to progress from SQ2 after Stroll crashed gambling on taking slick tyres on the damp track, while Alonso spun out of the sprint to bring out a safety car.
Pierre Gasly was one of the stars of the sprint race for Alpine and secured his best finish to date with the blue team in third, but starts only 12th for Sunday’s grand prix.
Pierre Gasly, Alpine F1 Team, 3rd position, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position, congratulate each other in Parc Ferme after the Sprint
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
When is the F1 Belgian Grand Prix?
Date: Sunday 30 July 2023
Start time: 3:00pm BST, 3:00pm local time
The 12th round of the 2023 F1 season, the Belgian GP at Spa Francorchamps, gets under way at 3:00pm local time (2:00pm BST) on Sunday 30 July.
How can I watch Formula 1?
In the United Kingdom Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.
Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £24 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.98p or a month membership of £34.99p per month.
How can I watch the F1 Belgian GP?
In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports will be live broadcasting the Belgian GP.
The race will be shown live on Sky Sports F1, with pre-race coverage starting at 12:30pm BST on Sky Sports F1, ahead of the race start at 2:00pm BST.
Channels: Sky Sports F1
Start time: 12:30pm BST on Sky Sports F1, Sunday 30 July 2023
Autosport will be running a live text coverage of the Belgian GP here.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19, Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60
Photo by: Michael Potts / Motorsport Images
When can I watch the F1 Belgian GP highlights?
In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Belgian GP at 6:30pm BST on Sunday. The full programme will run for an hour, covering the pre-race, the race highlights and the initial post-race reaction to wrap up the major talking points of the race weekend.
For the entire 2023 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch up services.
Channel: Channel 4
Start time: 6:30pm BST, Sunday 30 July 2023
Will the F1 Belgian GP be on the radio?
Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2023 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra stations, the BBC Sounds app and the via the BBC Sport website.
Live coverage of the Belgian GP will start at 2:00pm BST on the BBC Sport website and on the BBC Sounds app.
Weather forecast for the F1 Belgian GP
Current weather forecasts predict typically mixed conditions with a 30-40% chance of rain. The temperature is expected to be low at 16 degrees Celsius for the start of the race.
How many laps is the F1 Belgian GP?
The race is scheduled to complete 44 laps of Spa Francorchamps, covering a total race distance of 308.052km.
