The victory gives Hamilton a 28-point lead in the drivers’ standings, enough to retire from the next race and retain the top spot even if Rosberg wins. “Fairly relaxed at the front, the vehicle was feeling great so it was mainly about looking after the tires”. The failure instantly brought an end to Vettel’s chances, while Grosjean came over the hill at Raidillon to be faced by flailing rubber and a quick promotion to third place.
Advertisement
Daniil Kvyat put in one his best drives as he carries on from his podium in Hungary to finish fourth after great strategy call from the Red Bull Racing team. Sergio Perez made a brilliant start from fourth to second and drew alongside Hamilton as the pair closed on the chicane at Les Combes.
“I just completely messed it up, which was annoying”, he admitted.
“Naturally, you want to make sure those kind of weekends don’t happen again so of course I thought about it and I will be better prepared”.
Later, he said that contrary to speculation in some newspapers, he revelled in his busy trans-Atlantic lifestyle in which he has spent time with friends and family, and been photographed with many famous faces, in the United States and the Caribbean.
Plus it was three years since the Frenchman received a one-race ban at the Belgian Grand Prix for causing a spectacular accident at the first corner, which saw his Lotus somersault on to the cockpit of Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari.
“I am really happy today with the performance of the vehicle and team”, said Hamilton, who last won at Spa in a McLaren in 2010. Rosberg was unable to get any closer, and for Hamilton, it was yet another regulation win, the 39th of his career, his lead in the championship extended to 28 points. The 30-year-old is 21 points behind the two-time world champion with nine races remaining. Under a regulation introduced at this race, teams weren’t allowed to coach their drivers through the start procedure over the radio, leaving drivers to find the optimal clutch setup themselves.
And while only two tyre failures occurred across the entire Belgian GP weekend, the rear-right explosions suffered by Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel have hurt the Italian manufacturer’s credibility once more.
It is the same with me, I didn’t go off the track – it is out of the blue the tyre exploded – and as I said if this happens earlier than I am f****d.
While Mercedes’ seventh one-two finish of 2015 was ultimately achieved in relatively serene fashion, the close nature of the battle for third was repeated further down the field in an action-packed race. It would be Grosjean in third, the first podium for both he and Lotus since the 2013 United States Grand Prix, almost two years ago. He will start at 14th on the grid. “Why would I feel sorry for Nico”, he said.
“Luckily, I did not hit the wall”. The race was cut by a lap because the first start had to be abandoned when Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India lost power.
Advertisement
Williams’s Valtteri Bottas took ninth, despite a drive-through penalty for fitting a mis-matched set of tyres, with Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber taking the final point.
