Sainz took pole in qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps after finishing second to Max Verstappen in Q3, who is set to start from the rear of the grid as one of seven drivers penalised for engine changes.
The Spaniard's enthusiasm on his second career F1 pole was dampened by the huge 0.632s gap to Verstappen as Red Bull looked dominant throughout the Belgian GP weekend, the first race after the summer break.
