Charles Leclerc is predicting a “tough” Belgian Grand Prix, despite a surprise second-place qualifying result at Spa-Francorchamps.

The 26-year-old will take pole position after Max Verstappen was handed a 10-place penalty for altering the combustion engine in his RB20’s powertrain.

However, the Ferrari driver remains realistic about his chances, with Sergio Perez’s other Red Bull driver starting alongside him.

The six-time grand prix winner admitted McLaren are starting lower than he would have liked, with the Monaco driver hoping the Papaya cars can support his nearest Red Bull.

However, despite the difficulties ahead throughout the race, Leclerc is pleased with a qualifying result he did not expect.

“For me, it was a clean lap, but not an amazing lap,” he told media including RacingNews365. “Yes, I’m happy to be in P2 but I certainly didn’t expect it.

“I think that today we are fifth, today we are second and tomorrow we will start first.

“So that’s good. But as I said, we don’t have any magic solution for pace and it will be a difficult day.”

Leclerc started last year’s Belgian Grand Prix in pole position, after Max Verstappen was also penalised for a false start in that race.

It was the 25th time the Ferrari driver has taken pole position in his career, so he is well aware of the demands of a well-executed qualifying session – admitting that in the difficult conditions of testing, it was sometimes necessary to avoid making the mistakes others were making.

“I was surprised,” he added. “And actually, even when I finished, I didn’t feel like I deserved second place.

“It was a good lap, a clean lap, and that’s what you need in those conditions. And I think especially when you go into Q3 on the last lap, everyone knows that this is the race, and that pushes people to make more mistakes.”