Max Verstappen pips Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz by TINY margin in dramatic sprint shootout

Max Verstappen after his win in Hungary — Photo: © LAT Images

Belgian Grand Prix

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Verstappen pips Piastri and Sainz by TINY margin in dramatic sprint shootout

The Dutchman didn't quite have things his own way in a rain-affected session

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Saturday 29 July 2023 13:33

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A dramatic sprint shootout saw Max Verstappen take pole for Saturday afternoon's 15-lap sprint race, but with a significantly reduced margin than he led the pack on Friday.

The gap to second in qualifying was more than 0.8 seconds, but in the shootout it was reduced to 0.011s back to second-placed Oscar Piastri and a further 0.014s back to Carlos Sainz in third.

The Australian's lap had him top of the timing boards for a short time, but the reigning world champion just barely pipped him to the top of the standings.

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The session started late after more rain fell at Spa-Francorchamps, leaving drivers and teams negotiating tyre choices and drying conditions for the second day in a row.

Aston Martin woes

Both Aston Martin drivers fell in SQ2, having sent Lance Stroll out on a pair of medium compound tyres only to see him hit the wall in the middle of his only fast lap – bringing out a red flag and robbing Fernando Alonso of his chance to set a time.

The fast-starting team have struggled of late, only qualifying ninth and tenth in Friday's session for Sunday's feature race, and this will only compound their misery.

Ferrari landed third and fourth in the session, picking up where Charles Leclerc left off the previous day, but there were more qualifying issues for Red Bull's Sergio Perez – stuck down in eighth.