The Pole Position of the Belgian GP went to Charles Leclerc but not on merit. Charles did well to take the second fastest time qualification, finishing ahead of Sergio Perez, but on balance the best time at Spa-Francorchamps was set by Max Verstappen, who however will have to serve a 10 place grid penalty for having replaced the ICE on his car. This placing still guarantees him a start close to the top 10, minimizing the impact of the penalty. Charles Leclerc is statistically the poleman of the Belgian GP despite not having done it physically, but what does this exchange of poles at Fanta F1 mean? Let's look at the two cases in detail, that is, what happens to Max Verstappen's score and what happens to Charles Leclerc's score.
Fanta F1, Belgium qualifications: what happens to Max Verstappen's score
Pole NOW grants a bonus of 2 points to the Poleman. Any penalty taken before the race or in qualifying will result in a 0 in the aforementioned session. So MaxVerstappen, despite having obtained Pole NOW (+2 points) and the 3 points from qualifying for Q3 will remain at 0 points. To explain this point, let's take a look at the YawClub Fanta F1 regulation which, under the heading of the qualification bonus, specifies that: “A driver who takes a grid penalty for any reason (technical choice, component change, incorrectness in qualifying or in the previous race) will obtain a score of 0 (Zero) in qualifying, regardless of the position in which he is downgraded.”
Although the qualification does not give him any merit, the penalty at Fanta F1 can be an excellent opportunity in the race. Overtaking is in fact rewarded with bonus points and Verstappen has everything it takes to get back up to the podium area. So don't despair Fantamanager, there is still a lot you can capitalize on.
What happens to Charles Leclerc's score
Also in the part of the regulation relating to Qualifying Bonuses there is also a reference to what happens to Charles Leclerc and Alexander Albon, who qualified in P11, who becomes P10 with Verstappen's penalty. “All other scores remain unchanged regardless of the change in positions.” No additional bonus therefore for Leclerc, who still takes home the 3 qualifying points in Q3, or for Alexander Albon, who, having not taken part in Q3, leaves the paddock with 1 point.
So not only will Leclerc not get the 2 extra points, but he will actually be exposed to a higher risk in relegation. Just as positions gained assign bonuses, positions lost give a penalty. And at Spa, with such long straights, it is likely that Charles will have more difficulty holding onto Pole. So are we sure that it was a good thing to take Pole instead of Verstappen? We just have to wait for tomorrow's race to find out.
