Mercedes' Nico Rosberg took pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix with a time of 1m46.744s in qualifying at Spa on Saturday, after staving off a challenge from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who finished in second place with a time of 1m46.893s. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen finished third and fourth respectively.
However, Rosberg was helped by the fact that his team-mate and rival from Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton only opted to run once in qualifying. Hamilton, who is currently leading the championship and is 19 points ahead of Rosberg in first place, has been hit with engine penalties amounting to 55 grid places and will start Sunday's race from the back of the grid.
Rosberg set his best time on the first run in Q3 to achieve his sixth career pole of the season. He will want to make his advantage count on Sunday in an effort to make up as much ground as possible over Hamilton who is currently way ahead of him in the championship.
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