(CNN) Nico Rosberg will start in pole position in the Belgian Grand Prix Sunday after finishing fastest in qualifying.

His Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton who leads the championship race by 19 points will start at the back of the field at the Spa circuit after taking a grid penalty for using more engine parts than is permissible.

The defending champion was plagued with engine problems at the start of the season and has to accept the penalty for replacing key components. He sat out most of the qualifying laps.

Rosberg was pushed hard by Max Verstappen in the Red Bull who was only a fraction of a second behind his time.

Team mates Kimi Raikkonenen and Sebastian Vettel in the Ferraris complete the front two rows of the grid.