Mercedes driver extends title lead to 47 points with lights-to-flag win over Bottas and Verstappen; Struggling Ferrari finish 13th and 14th, but Renault star in top five; Big crash for Alfa Romeo's Giovinazzi sent wheel into Russell's Williams
Monday 31 August 2020 06:46, UK
Lewis Hamilton ended Mercedes' three-year wait for another victory at Spa-Francorchamps with a supreme drive to his 89th career win in the Belgian Grand Prix.
Hamilton led from start to finish to defeat team-mate Valtteri Bottas and Red Bull's Max Verstappen into second and third respectively.
The victory has stretched his world championship lead to a massive 47 points - almost the equivalent of two race wins.
The six-time champion is now just two more victories away from Michael Schumacher's all-time record, which could be equalled in two races' time in Mugello at the 1,000th anniversary race for Ferrari, the team who the German great set the landmark with.
But Sunday's race underlined that Ferrari have far bigger worries right now than simply losing a prestigious record.
The famous Scuderia had won the previous two Belgian GPs but, incredibly, there was not even the consolation of a point for them this time on a humbling weekend for F1's fast-falling giants.
Sebastian Vettel was 13th and Charles Leclerc took 14th, with the team-mates even banging wheels at one stage as they fought for position out of the points amid a chronic lack of straight-line speed from their SF1000s
But it was a big day - and big result - for Renault.
Daniel Ricciardo finished a very comfortable fourth, with the Australian even taking the bonus point for the fastest lap with a fantastic charging effort on the 44th and final tour.
Team-mate Esteban Ocon took fifth after a last-lap pass on Red Bull's Alex Albon.
Fourth and fifth equalled the best result of Renault's return to team ownership so far and moves them back into contention with McLaren, Racing Point and Ferrari for third in the Constructors' Championship.
Although outpaced by Renault, Lando Norris finished seventh in what proved the sole McLaren in the race after Carlos Sainz was ruled out before the start with an exhaust problem on his car.
The leading runners were forced to manage their tyres to the end after the sole pit stops were triggered earlier than planned following a big crash involving Alfa Romeo's Antonio Giovinazzi and Williams' George Russell on lap 10.
Giovinazzi slammed into the outside barriers at the fast Fagnes corner and, with his car's rear wheel working loose as he span back across the track, the luckless Russell was powerless to avoid it and the tyre took his car out of the race too.
The timing of the Safety Car had initially looked to be inopportune for Pierre Gasly, who had made a storming start to the race - including a breathless pass on Sergio Perez into the mighty Eau Rouge on lap two - despite starting on the slower hard tyres.
The AlphaTauri, along with Perez, stayed out through the Safety Car and inevitably lost lots of ground when he eventually stopped for tyres after the pack closed up. But the in-form Frenchman surged well from there, passing both Racing Points late on to secure a fine eighth place on a weekend he had raced in memory of his friend Anthoine Hubert.
The sport observed a minute of silence on the grid ahead of the race in memory of the Frenchman, who was killed in an F2 race at Spa last year.
Belgian GP Result: Top 10
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
3. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Renault
5. Esteban Ocon, Renault
6. Alexander Albon, Red Bull
7. Lando Norris, McLaren
8. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
9. Lance Stroll, Racing Point
10. Sergio Perez, Racing Point
"We're running out of superlatives for him," admitted Sky F1's Karun Chandhok after the conclusion of the six-time champion's latest tour de force for a fourth win around arguably the sport's most legendary track.
Pole position has sometimes proved a poisoned chalice for drivers at Spa owing to the fact it makes them vulnerable from the tow down the long Kemmel Straight to Les Combes on lap one. However, Hamilton conclusively made the most of his starting advantage over Bottas and never really looked threatened as the field blasted through the uphill run to Les Combes.
In truth, the race leader did not really look unduly troubled all afternoon - despite a brief power drop-out early in the race, and then late-race tyre management concerns as the front-runners took their tyres to the finish.
Indeed after the earlier-than-ideal first stops, Hamilton admitted he did experience some late-race nerves on his hard tyres, several weeks on from the late puncture that forced him to complete the final lap of the British GP on three working wheels.
"It was a bit of a struggle. I was nervous we'd have another situation like Silverstone!" admitted Hamilton.
"It's not necessarily what everyone always wants to see the Mercedes at the front but we just keep our heads down. It's an incredible mentality to work around, and we're continuing to learn about the car."
Bottas finished 8s behind his team-mate, although at least did have the measure of Verstappen this time after being beaten to second by the Red Bull behind Hamilton two weeks ago in Spain.
"Lewis was faultless today," admitted the Finn.
As preparations for two consecutive races in their home country go - Monza next week followed by Mugello the week after - Ferrari's could barely had been worse.
Thirteenth and 14th positions in qualifying were not improved upon in the race - in spite of the fact McLaren's Sainz, who had qualified seventh, did not take part - with Ferrari's lack of straight-line speed leaving Vettel and Leclerc in an almost hopeless situation.
Leclerc did make impressive early progress into the points positions but quickly slipped backwards thereafter, with his afternoon compounded by a second pit stop when the team had to make a precautionary top-up of his engine's pneumatic pressure.
Vettel told Sky F1: "Hopefully the problems are Spa-specific. There are a lot of lessons from this weekend and we have two important races coming we need to focus on. The package is what it is. We need to stay optimistic and see the good things, even if there are not many.
"I tried a lot of things to drive around these problems, but we were not quick enough. We cannot pull out miracles."
Ferrari have slipped to fifth in the Constructors' Championship and are now only two points ahead of Renault, who will likely be strong again on the high-speed straights of Monza.
The big fear for Ferrari is that the situation could get even worse on their home track next Sunday.
