Max Verstappen vowed to kiss and make up together with his race engineer following their X-rated row in Belgian Grand Prix qualifying.
Verstappen completed quickest in a wet-dry session at Spa-Francorchamps, however he’ll begin Sunday’s 44-lap race from sixth following a gearbox penalty.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is promoted to pole place, with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez second. Lewis Hamilton, on pole per week in the past in Hungary, will line up in third.
Verstappen made it into Q3 – the ultimate part of qualifying – by the pores and skin of his tooth and vented his anger at long-serving race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, often known as GP, following the close-call.
“I should have just f****** pushed two laps in a row like I said,” stated Verstappen, who sneaked by way of in tenth place.
“But you are through, Max,” replied Lambiase.
“I don’t give a f*** that we are P10, mate. It is just s*** execution,” got here Verstappen’s fiery response.
Lambiase snapped again: “OK, and then when the track was two seconds quicker for your final lap and you didn’t have any energy left, how would that have gone down?”
A surly Lambiase added: “But you tell me what you want to do in Q3 and we’ll do it. Tyre sets, fuel, run plan.”
Max Verstappen certified quickest however will begin the Belgian Grand Prix from sixth
(Getty Images)
After returning to complete eighth tenths away from Leclerc, Verstappen issued an apology.
“Sorry to GP for being such on the rant,” he stated over the radio.
Lambiase replied: “Slowly getting used to it, Max.”
Speaking afterwards, Verstappen added: “It happens sometimes. Most of it is blocked off.
“We are mates. We can get quite emotional, quite vocal. We sort it out afterwards.”
Verstappen’s grid drop for exceeding the allotted variety of 4 gearboxes will present his rivals with forlorn hope they’ll finish his seven-race profitable streak.
TOP-10 – BELGIAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
1) Charles Leclerc
2) Sergio Perez
3) Lewis Hamilton
4) Carlos Sainz
5) Oscar Piastri
6) Max Verstappen*
7) Lando Norris
8) George Russell
9) Fernando Alonso
10) Lance Stroll
*Max Verstappen receives a five-place grid drop for exceeding his gearbox allocation
However, the Dutchman, a winner of 9 of the 11 rounds up to now this season, began this race from 14th final 12 months owing to engine penalties and nonetheless took the victory in his all-conquering Red Bull machine.
For Hamilton, the seven-time world champion confronted a post-qualifying investigation from the stewards after he ran off the circuit at Eau Rouge earlier than re-joining in entrance of team-mate George Russell in Q2.
Russell was compelled to decelerate to keep away from making contact with the sister Mercedes. Race management famous the incident and confirmed they’d examine, however the stewards took no additional motion towards Hamilton.
Hamilton completed 9 tenths slower than Verstappen, with Russell even additional again in eighth, 0.8sec adrift of his team-mate.
“It was definitely very hectic because it was consistently drying up,” stated Hamilton after the operating began on a moist monitor.
“It was difficult to see with the spray. I was head down, just maximining as much as I could.
“At the end, I was still a good chunk off Max. But I am really happy with the result I’ve got.”
Carlos Sainz certified fifth for Ferrari, one spot forward of Oscar Piastri, with Lando Norris seventh within the different McLaren.
Daniel Ricciardo completed a commendable thirteenth on his F1 comeback however the Australian will line up from the penultimate spot on the grid.
Ricciardo briefly hauled his AlphaTauri by way of to Q2 solely to see his lap time deleted for exceeding monitor limits.
“F***, I am sorry,” stated Ricciardo when knowledgeable of the chalked-off lap. “I just lost it through Turn 3. I am sorry.”
Spa-Francorchamps is internet hosting the game’s third dash occasion of the 12 months with a shortened race on Saturday to come back earlier than Sunday’s primary occasion – the concluding spherical forward of the game’s summer time shutdown.
Source: www.unbiased.co.uk
