Verstappen could start Belgian GP from Brussels and still win!

But Red Bull's reigning F1 World Champ will drop five places due to a gearbox change. But write him off for the win on Sunday at your peril!

But it was not a plain sailing session, which dried fast after the earlier deluge over Spa-Francorchamps earlier in the day. With every lap the grip got better as did the times. For Verstappen he nearly did not make it into Q3, tenth when the stanza ended.

He had a mini-rant at Gianpiero Lambiase, but his RBR race engineer counterpunched smartly. The World Champion did the right thing, apologising for being a prat as he drove his cool-down lap.

Nevertheless, Verstappen's final run in the session was pure sensation, threading the Red Bull RB19 so skillfully and swiftly on the narrow drying line, beyond which wet patches caught many out. But not Max. Once again he hammered home his advantage with an advantage that suggests he is now intent on maximising the gap to his hapless pursuers, rather than simply beating them.

While Charles Leclerc, a qualifying whizz-kid of the highest order, gave it his best shot, that near one-second deficit was insurmountable for Ferrari, who have a better package at Spa. That prevented a Red Bull one-two by a smidgeon, as Perez lacked less than a tenth to make that happen.

The pair will make up the front row, with Charles in P1 and Checo in P2 while Max drops five places. However, this Qualy belonged to Verstappen and the RB19 in delightful harmony. Lauda-Ferrari; Senna-McLaren; Prost-McLaren; Schumacher-Ferrari; Vettel-RBR; Hamilton-Mercedes, spring to mind.

Verstappen reported in parc ferme after a tense session: "It was very tight. The conditions were tricky and the track was drying quickly. On my final lap in Q2 I didn't have the confidence to push more and I was very lucky to be in P10.

"In Q3 you have two tyre sets and can push a bit more, risk more and that's what we did on that final lap. Sector 2 was still a bit damp. There was only one dry line and in some corners you had to do an alternative line.

"It was all about feeling confident and risking everything in that final run to get more lap time. We know the car was quick and even in these tricky conditions luckily we showed it again. I know I have to drop back on Sunday with the penalty I have, so it was the best I could do."

Later in the RBR team report, the soon-to-be treble World Champion said: "Last year we had more penalties and started even further back but the car is better this year, so I am still targeting a win. It definitely feels like a second home race, I grew up not far from here and it’s great to see so many fans.

"It was tough out here with the rain but everyone got stuck in and that’s great to see, so thank you very much!” concluded Verstappen, who last year won the Belgian GP from 14th on the grid.

In the sister Red Bull, Perez will be relieved, despite the gap to his teammate. He was close enough to second to be satisfied that he has now shrugged off a spell of bad qualifying form. Today he looked a F1 natural in Qualy again, unlike the plodder that haunted him not long ago.

Perez said after the session: "It was very tricky. We started on the inters and conditions were very tricky initially. We thought it would get a lot drier a lot quicker but it took a long time. Even at the end of Q3 it was quite tricky in a few places like Turns 8 and 9.

"But it's a good result. It's a shame I didn't get Charles but in these conditions it was good that we had a good one," said Perez who is arguably best placed, with the best car at his disposal to prevent Verstappen from winning a seventh Grand Prix in a row on Sunday.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner summed up from the team's perspective: "Weather wise, it was all over the place again. Torrential rain to start and finishing in bright sunshine certainly made things interesting from a strategy point of view, but that’s Spa.

In terms of the racing, it was a great performance from both drivers. Max was on brilliant form once again, showing exactly why this is his favourite track while Checo delivered in the fashion we all know he is capable of for qualifying, finishing a couple of hundredths off Charles – earning what will become his first front row since Miami.

"The penalty drops Max down the grid. Starting in 6th and with Checo carrying his momentum on to the front row, will make for a good race on Sunday!” predicted Horner.