2016 F1 Round 13 Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying – Rosberg takes pole, Verstappen secures first front row

In Q1, Massa went provisionally fastest with a 1:47.738. Rosberg was fourth on soft tyres, while his main rivals set their opening times on supersofts. Nasr, Ocon, Kvyat and Ericsson were eliminated in the opening segment.

Archive image: Räikkönen drives his Ferrari at Spa during the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix weekend

Rosberg led Q2 with a 1:46.999, followed by Verstappen on 1:47.163. Hamilton concentrated on setting up his car and did not prioritise his qualifying result. Grosjean was the highest-placed driver eliminated in that segment, in 11th.

In Q3, Rosberg took pole with a 1:46.744, just 0.149 seconds ahead of Verstappen in second. At 18, Verstappen became the youngest front-row qualifier in F1 history.

Räikkönen ran wide at Stavelot on his first run and aborted the lap, before returning to take third with a 1:46.910. Ricciardo was fifth on 1:47.216, missing out on the second row occupied by both Ferraris.

Vettel qualified fourth with a 1:47.108. He reported over the radio that rear grip was dropping noticeably towards the end of the lap, and ultimately joined team-mate Räikkönen on the second row.

Pérez was sixth and Hülkenberg seventh. An engine software issue prevented both Williams drivers from using qualifying mode, leaving Bottas eighth and Massa tenth.

Hamilton was 21st in Q1 with a 1:50.033. Alonso stopped on his out-lap as he approached Eau Rouge and failed to set a timed lap. Both would start from the back of the grid after penalties for power-unit changes.

The Q2 tyre rule meant Verstappen had to start on supersofts, while Rosberg, Räikkönen, Vettel and Ricciardo were able to start on the more durable soft tyres. Rosberg and Verstappen occupied the front row of the provisional grid after penalties.