Qualifying Results 2023 Belgian F1 Sprint Shootout
Event: Belgian Grand Prix
Track: Spa-Francorchamps Circuit
Max Verstappen driving the Red Bull Racing RB19 on track during the Sprint Shootout ahead of the 2023 F1 Grand Prix of Belgium
Weather: dry 18°C
Tarmac: dry 25°C
Humidity: 86%
Wind: 1 km/h SW
Pressure: 962 mbar
Max Verstappen qualified as quickest for the Belgian Sprint race later today. The Red Bull driver scored his second Sprint Shoutout pole position and also the second Sprint pole for the Red Bull Racing.
Crucial Weather Conditions Spice up Belgian F1 Shootout Qualifying
The Shootout Qualifying session was filled with excitement and drama. Haas had a tough time, with both drivers starting from the back of the grid. Aston Martin suffered a setback as Lance Stroll crashed out, affecting his teammate's position as well. Mercedes faced their own challenges, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell tripping over each other, costing them their final flying lap times.
Verstappen's dominance in qualifying was a measure of redemption for him after losing yesterday's pole due to a grid penalty. McLaren's Oscar Piastri put on an impressive performance, showing his potential despite not having driven on this track for a couple of years.
The weather added an extra layer of complexity to the session. Rainfall during the session made tire choice a crucial factor. Verstappen's advantage might be neutralized by wet conditions, opening up opportunities for other teams, especially those with strong performances in the rain.
The Sprint Shootout, an abridged version of qualifying, determined the starting grid for the F1 Sprint Race later in the day. The Sprint is a 15-lap dash that awards points to the top eight finishers, potentially impacting the championship standings.
The weather remains unpredictable, with rain showers forecasted before the Sprint. Teams are strategizing accordingly, and tire management will be vital for success in these tricky conditions.
As fans eagerly await the action, all eyes are on Verstappen, Leclerc, and the others to see who can master the challenging Spa-Francorchamps circuit in these mixed conditions. The Sprint promises to be a thrilling race with plenty of overtaking opportunities and strategy calls.
The Sprint Shootout has been delayed due to the heavy rain, but the excitement is building as fans hope for some dry spells to showcase the true potential of the drivers.
The quickest sector times were:
- Sector 1: 31.552 sec. by Charles Leclerc with the Ferrari SF23
- Sector 2: 47.471 sec. by Oscar Piastri with the McLaren MCL60
- Sector 3: 31.552 sec. by Charles Leclerc with the Ferrari SF23
Quali Times 2023 Belgian F1 Sprint
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:58.135 | 1:55.200 | 1:49.056 | 14 |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 2:00.056 | 1:56.392 | 1:49.067 | 14 |
| 3 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:59.414 | 1:56.557 | 1:49.081 | 14 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:59.575 | 1:56.265 | 1:49.251 | 14 |
| 5 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 2:00.436 | 1:56.828 | 1:49.389 | 16 |
| 6 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 2:00.032 | 1:56.137 | 1:49.700 | 15 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:58.939 | 1:55.823 | 1:49.900 | 16 |
| 8 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull | 1:59.362 | 1:55.878 | 1:49.961 | 14 |
| 9 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:59.884 | 1:57.051 | 1:50.494 | 15 |
| 10 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 2:00.475 | 1:57.393 | 1:55.742 | 13 |
| 11 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | AlphaTauri | 2:00.177 | 1:57.687 | 10 | |
| 12 | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:59.198 | DNF | 8 | |
| 13 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 2:00.031 | DNF | 10 | |
| 14 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 2:00.460 | DNF | 9 | |
| 15 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:59.038 | DNS | 6 | |
| 16 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 2:00.568 | 6 | ||
| 17 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 2:00.951 | 6 | ||
| 18 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 2:01.079 | 7 | ||
| 19 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 2:01.430 | 7 | ||
| 20 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas | DNF | 6 |
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Interesting tactics by Haas that cost Hulkenberg a final flying lap attempt. They definitely would've been better off completing the earlier attempts to be safer.
Russell's tactics against his teammate were also interesting.
AlphaTauri drivers seemingly go back-&-forth regarding their finishing order in qualifying sessions.
AM's slick gamble with Stroll failed big time, though.
He was right about switch timing being too early, but unfortunately for them, everything's always easy in hindsight.
I'm confused, Grs tactics against his teammate wheres that coming from, listen, I don't hate sir Lulu, he's always talking about mercedes & what a brilliant team & factory effort goes behind his domination of the sport, please forgive me if I'm wrong but if I was 7 times world champion and adored the team that I was driving for I would tend to help my understudy a little more than he does,, "BUT NO" with Lewis it's me, me, me. 😜
Can't blame them for trying, LOL. 😜
OP seems to be the real deal. Seems Ike a thoughtful and pleasant young man. It will be interesting to see how the team handles the driver dynamic going forward - hoping it plays out to let the best performer receive any in-race strategy decisions.
Sir Lulu's done it again,, stuck the wheel in to Perez, are fia blind a recurrence of incident at silverstone with Max, he could kill someone with that move,, how does he get away with it, I saw him hit Perezes side pod & pulled his staring to the left hand down in order to catch Perezes rear wheel but missed that could have cost RB loads money,, time to come down on sir Lulu.
he got his 5 secs, very downbeat in interview as was Torger, something's brewing there
Sorry shropp, I'm not sure if it's just me that can see it, how can that be a racing incident as Martin Brundle says it was,, there was plenty of room for Lewis and yet he hit Perezes side pod then hard down to the left on his steering to catch Perezes rear wheel, it's there for everyone to see.
No i agree with you the sky pad called it right , yes the moves on agreed, but if you then drift you've caused an accident, so it was not on it can easily be argued the Dame should have known he'd drift and again was just desperate to look good for his contract negotiations , end of discussion ,disappointed with brundle over his call
Bound to drift if you pull the steering to the left towards the car your trying to pass, if I sound annoyed then yes I am & that's it I will say no more. 😜
A BS call by the stewards for a mere racing incident.
Sorry disagree Jere, watch it again. 😎
If i may say,, three cheers for Oscar Piastri for his monstrous effort today, a rookie but not a lot said about his achievement, as always Sir Lulu gets all the attention. C**p. 😜
Mcl better have him locked in, but it'll be a while if ever hes the No 1 at Mcl, at the moment hes making the other young uns look slow, but early day and contracts mean nothing really naw As for Lilly, nothing to say
After the fact, but Lewie got his just reward in the race. That was an 'artistic' 7th place, Sir Lewis. :)
Ror you are always so nice.
Yeah, I'm a real buttercup. LOLOL So nice that I'm going to start predicting VER winning intervals rather than race results. Tomorrow, 21-23 seconds.....barring a DNF. Second place should be fun to watch.
Yes, should be, enjoy. 🎉
Ror got his degree in diplomacy, unfortunately i didn't, hence my give em both barrels approach
Yeah, good but not sure who you are aiming the gun at. 😜