F1 2026 Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying Results
July 19, 2026
Envision’s Sebastien Buemi claimed Formula E‘s 2026 Mexico City E-Prix pole position after DS Penske’s Taylor Barnard had his fastest lap deleted for exceeding track limits in the final corner.
The qualifying session, part of Formula E’s 150th race weekend, showcased intense competition across two groups and head-to-head Duels with drivers pushing the GEN3 Evo cars to their limits at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit.
Group A kicked off the action with Jake Dennis settting the early benchmark with a 1:06.490 lap, showcasing his championship pedigree after his Brazil triumph, while Nico Mueller slotted into second with a strong Sector 2 performance.
Taylor Barnard stood out as the only driver to pit for fresh tires between pushes, improving dramatically on his second run to claim third ahead of Mortara, demonstrating bold strategy and raw pace that propelled him forward.
Antonio Felix da Costa, recovering from a DC-DC unit failure in FP2 that sidelined him, managed fifth but couldn’t crack the top four despite clean laps, highlighting Jaguar’s mixed weekend.
Nick Cassidy suffered a setback when his initial flyer was deleted for track limits, and his recovery lap fell short, leaving him disappointed in the lower order, while Jean-Eric Vergne struggled with balance issues to finish further back.
Norman Nato and Nyck de Vries rounded out the midfield, with de Vries unable to extract the Mahindra’s potential, setting up a tough race start.
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Transitioning seamlessly to Group B, Sebastien Buemi employed a conservative Sector 1 strategy to preserve tires before unleashing clean Sectors 2 and 3, topping the group.
Jaguar’s Dan Ticktum and Mitch Evans delivered consistent pace to slot into second and third, while reigning world champion Oliver Rowland overcorrected in the final sector, dropping to fourth.
Shockingly, Pascal Wehrlein could only muster sixth in the group, eliminated early in a major upset for Porsche, compounded by team-wide struggles as none reached semis, while Maximilian Gunther’s late charge secured ninth overall after narrowly missing the Duels.
Lucas di Grassi, Zane Maloney, and Felipe Drugovich filled midfield spots—the latter facing a three-place penalty from Sao Paulo—with Pepe Marti languishing low ahead of his back-of-grid drop.
With the eight Duel qualifiers set—Dennis, Mueller, Barnard, Mortara from Group A, and Buemi, Ticktum, Evans, Rowland from Group B—the head-to-head knockout phase ignited under mounting pressure, where single-lap shootouts determine progression.
Quarterfinal one saw Taylor Barnard take on Nico Mueller. Barnard fluffed Turn 1 but recovered spectacularly, undercutting Mueller by 0.137 seconds through sheer determination, his tire change paying dividends in a session-defining recovery.
Quarterfinal two pitted Jake Dennis against Edoardo Mortara who went on to prevail by a slim 0.081-second edge over Dennis through Sector 2, showcasing Mahindra’s upward trajectory.
In the opposite bracket, Sebastien Buemi faced Oliver Rowland. Buemi’s conservative start blossomed into dominance in Sectors 2 and 3, dispatching the Nissan by 0.3 seconds despite Rowland’s mid-lap correction woes.
Quarterfinal four featured Dan Ticktum versus Mitch Evans, where Evans edged ahead with superior late-braking into the stadium, advancing Jaguar’s hopes while Ticktum rued untapped potential.
The semifinals ramped up the stakes, with Mortara facing Barnard in a gritty encounter. Both drivers danced on the edge at Turn 16, but Barnard’s precision—narrowly skirting track limits—secured a 0.201-second victory, propelling the DS Penske rookie into the final amid roars from the crowd.
Meanwhile, Buemi dismantled Evans with metronomic pace, his Envision package excelling in the power-heavy straights and technical esses, confirming his spot in the pole decider. Eliminated at this stage, Mueller, Ticktum, Dennis, and Rowland settled for positions 5-8.
The pole Final marked the session’s crescendo with Buemi facing off Barnard in a duel of experience against youthful audacity on the freshly rubbered track.
Barnard struck first with oversteer through Sector 1 but built a 0.180-second lead, maintaining advantage through the middle before another snap at Turn 16 sent the DS Penske beyond limits.
His provisional 1:05.135 lap bested Buemi by 0.114 seconds but stewards swiftly deleted his time for exceeding track limits, effectively handing Mexico City E-Prix pole position to the Envision driver.
