Sky F1's Martin Brundle reflects on Hamilton and Vettel's intense battle at Spa, the cunning 'genius' what won it, and rues the support acts of leading stars Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen...
Tuesday 29 August 2017 12:56, UK
The battle between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel in the closing stages of the Belgian Grand Prix was mighty, even though it was only momentarily exciting.
Two great drivers in a head-to-head battle for yet another world championship, raising their game to a new level of commitment and excellence, intensely focused on their own perfect delivery and every nuance of their rival's performance and tactics.
Hamilton said in the podium cool-down room that, having initially been in the wrong engine mode, he then slightly lifted the throttle and allowed Vettel to get close on the restart after the Safety Car, which was deployed to clear up the debris from the latest Force India civil war.
Hamilton reveals Vettel restart 'trick'
Initially I didn't understand what Lewis was saying, but thinking it through it was genius under such great pressure and implications for the championship.
A clean run through Eau Rouge at a suitable distance from the car in front gives you a tremendous slingshot over the top of Raidillon and then a good slipstream up the ever climbing Kemmel Straight. There is no low-drag DRS rear-wing available for two laps after a Safety Car but with your rival punching a hole in the air you can normally choose which side you want to pass, beneficial especially if you can go to the right and claim the inside line into Les Combes.
But if you are too close in Eau Rouge then you have to commit early to the pass and usually on the left-hand side because of the right kink onto the straight. Then you are out of the slipstream and punching your own hole in the air.
To finish the defence off, despite Vettel's brand new set of ultrasoft tyres against Hamilton's two grades harder 'softs', the Mercedes power unit was simply more efficient in its hybrid system under maximum demand to keep Hamilton ahead, and consigning Vettel to second place with only the forlorn hope of a Hamilton error to rely on.
Daniel Ricciardo did his usual job of stealing a great and unlikely result with a mighty overtake as he passed Valtteri Bottas and defended against Kimi Raikkonen at the same time after the Safety Car restart. He should then have needed all of his talent and cunning to keep a hitherto-faster Ferrari and Mercedes behind him for the rest of the race, but once again the 2017 cars proved very difficult to follow one another, especially when of similar performance.
Ricciardo is cheeky in and out of the car and that's great value. He's an entertainer.
Kimi Raikkonen made a mistake in qualifying which compromised his grid slot, and then a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for failing to lift the throttle as he passed Max Verstappen's stricken Red Bull was a powerful blow. He was though fortunate with track position under the Safety Car and salvaged fourth with a brave move on Bottas. He was on good form all weekend to celebrate his new contract, and in the game of musical chairs all the frontrunners appear to have reserved a seat before the music really started.
Valtteri Bottas had a difficult weekend and never got on terms with his Merc. He is refreshingly open and honest that he must find a way to deliver his best speed at all stages of the race. Just as Hamilton was brilliantly defending his lead, Bottas in a similarly shod car struggled and lost two places. It's those critical moments which are the difference between the race winners and the multiple champions. I believe he is smart enough and fast enough to bridge the gap given time.
Two of the most approachable and pleasant drivers on the grid are Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon. When I missed Hungary due to a health issue Sergio was one of the drivers who took the trouble to contact me. Esteban is just a pleasure to talk to. Quite how they've turned into such aggressors when side by side on the track I don't know. Without doubt they are of very similar pace and Ocon is determined to establish himself in the eyes of his mentors at Mercedes Benz. And Perez is no slouch and can be brutal in combat.
It's costing the team a huge amount of points and a fortune in carbon fibre they can ill afford. It all goes back to Canada when Ocon was not eased past Perez while on a faster strategy. They connected heavily again in Baku and then bounced off each other in Hungary. Somehow they have to find a way to direct their aggression at the enemy, namely Renault, Williams and Haas, and not at each other.
The Force India contact in Spa sent bodywork flying towards the marshals and the crowd, littered the track with debris, and could easily have seen a car heading skywards on both occasions. They have to calm down.
Of the 10 teams on the grid, three of the post race debriefs must have been super tense to say the least. Over and above the crazy boys dressed in pink I wouldn't have wanted to be face to face with Max Verstappen or Fernando Alonso and explaining to them why their motor was broken and hopeless, respectively.
Max has the potential to be one of the all-time greats, and Fernando already is and continues to be one of the best on the grid. I really hope we can get rid of these complex hybrid power units before 2021, they are robbing us of too many things we cherish in F1, as technically impressive and efficient as they are.
Verstappen and Alonso are box office, lead actors, not 'walk on and scooter off early' support acts.
It's a nightmare really, there just aren't enough decent engines to go around in this multi-billion dollar business. And to think, McLaren can't wait to get rid of their Hondas for a Renault like Verstappen has...This all rather sums up the problem.
The speed around Spa was mesmerising but one stat I read was that the track has one of the longest straights in F1, from La Source to Les Combes. Which of course sadly means that Eau Rouge is considered part of straight. One driver confirmed to me that taking it flat out was totally easy, the skill was not to turn the steering wheel too much so as to scrub off speed.
But if Eau Rouge and Blanchimont have lost their challenge if not their danger then the double left at Pouhon without lifting the throttle in Alonso's McLaren, or at 300kph in Hamilton's Mercedes, defies belief.
Monza should be an epic battle on Ferrari's home turf.
MB
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