2023 F1 Belgian GP: Full starting grid for Sunday’s main race after Max Verstappen and Kevin Magnussen's penalty

Max Verstappen claimed a thrilling pole position during qualifying at the 2023 F1 Belgian GP. However, the Red Bull driver's five-place grid penalty due to a previous infringement will see him drop down the order. As a result, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will start from pole position in Sunday's main race.

Friday's lone practice session provided limited running opportunities for the drivers due to heavy rain, leaving many unknowns regarding the true pecking order heading into qualifying. But when the crucial moments arrived, it was Max Verstappen who showcased his brilliance and speed.

During the first runs in Q3, Charles Leclerc set the pace with a time of 1m 47.931s. He secured the provisional pole position ahead of Verstappen by over a tenth of a second. Carlos Sainz, Leclerc's F1 teammate at Ferrari, completed the top three, albeit over four-tenths behind the Monegasque driver.

However, the excitement escalated when Leclerc improved his time further, only to be outshone by Verstappen. The latter crossed the line to claim pole position by an astonishing eight-tenths of a second ahead of the Ferrari driver. Despite Verstappen's incredible performance, though, the penalty reshuffled the starting grid, leaving Charles Leclerc as the pole-sitter for Sunday's F1 race.

Sergio Perez, Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull, secured the third spot on the grid, but he was nine-tenths off the pole position time. Lewis Hamilton, last week's pole-sitter in the F1 race at Budapest, pulled out a brilliant final sector to secure the fourth position. He pushed Carlos Sainz down to fifth on the grid.

The qualifying results were a bit of a surprise for McLaren, as they failed to secure positions like their recent F1 performances. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will start from fifth and seventh, respectively, ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, who claimed the eighth spot.

Aston Martin's performance lived up to expectations. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll secured the ninth and tenth positions on the grid, validating the team's claim of being the fifth fastest on the grid.

Yuki Tsunoda of AlphaTauri, who briefly topped the timesheets in Q2, narrowly missed out on a top 10 starting position. He will instead begin the race from the 11th spot. Pierre Gasly from Alpine claimed 12th place, followed by Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo in 13th.

Kevin Magnussen of Haas was originally 13th, however, the Dane received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Charles Leclerc during qualifying.

The F1 Belgian GP qualifying session proved challenging for Valtteri Bottas, who could only manage the fourteenth spot for Alfa Romeo. Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon's disappointing run continued, as the Alpine driver failed to make it into Q3 for the fourth consecutive race. He will start the race in 15th place.

Alex Albon faced a frustrating end to his qualifying session. He failed to advance out of Q1 due to running wide on his final lap, leaving him starting from 16th for Williams. His teammate Logan Sargeant, who had a gearbox change, was left in 18th, with the Alfa Romeo of Zhou Guanyu sandwiched between the Williams drivers.

Daniel Ricciardo's joy at initially securing the sixth position was short-lived when his time was deleted for exceeding track limits. He is now down to 19th for AlphaTauri. Nico Hulkenberg completed the starting grid, bringing up the rear of the field for Haas.

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Starting grid for the 2023 F1 Belgian GP after Max Verstappen and Kevin Magnussen's penalty

Following is the starting grid for the race on Sunday at Spa-Francorchamps:

#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 Guyanyu (Alfa Romeo)

#18 Logan Sargeant (Williams)

#19 Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri)

#20 Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

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With the starting grid now determined, the F1 drivers and teams will prepare for the main race at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit. As the Belgian Grand Prix promises unpredictable weather conditions and challenging turns, fans can expect a thrilling race on Sunday.