Super-soft start best strategy for Belgian GP, says Max Verstappen

The Red Bull driver became the youngest man to qualify on the front row for a grand prix at Spa, narrowly missing out on his first Formula 1 pole position to Nico Rosberg.

But Verstappen also caught the eye in Q2, when Rosberg, the Ferrari drivers and his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo all progressed using the soft tyre, meaning they will start the race on the harder compound.

When asked about his plan for the race, Verstappen said: "To start on the super-soft and see where we end up after a few laps.

"We have a few strategies. I decided with the team to run the super-softs [in Q2].

"We think it's the best strategy to go into tomorrow, and we'll see how it pays off."

Verstappen accepted that the 0.149-second gap to Rosberg meant he could have beaten the Mercedes with a perfect lap, but he was satisfied with a front row start.

"You can always do a better job, but I'm sure Nico could have also done a better lap," he added.

"To be so close to Mercedes on a track with long straights, we can be very pleased with that.

"I'm just very pleased to be second, especially in front of so many of my fans.

"It's great motivation when you see them on track."