The safety vehicle was initially deployed, but damage sustained to the tyre barrier meant the race was suspended to allow for further repairs.
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Fifth, Romain Grosjean (Haas), definitely too limited by his speed, failed to remain in the Top 10: he finished 13th, four places ahead of his younger compatriot Esteban Ocon (Manor).
The race was full of action right from the word go as Max Verstappen, and Ferrari team-mates Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel came together as the three tried to squeeze into the first corner together.
Hamilton may have had the most impressive result by the numbers, but given how McLaren has fared all season, Alonso’s seventh-place finish was nearly more impressive.
Both Rosberg and Ricciardo, themselves unaffected by the early tussles, were in no mood to give way to the most unlikely victory in Formula 1 history however, and staunchly defended their positions. Rosberg earned a penalty for forcing the Red Bull driver off the track, and Verstappen was happy to rub it in afterwards.
A lap of the colossal 7km circuit sees the drivers ebb and flow through the Ardennes forest, challenging both man and machine across the 44 laps during the race. The collision saw Vettel half spin but managed to redeem himself; whereas Raikkonen suffered a puncture with his underside catching fire, and had to end up at the pits for lengthy repairs.
Sunday’s victory is Rosberg’s 20th of his F1 career and he is now ranked second in the F1 standings, with 223 points, just nine points behind Leader Hamilton.
Mercedes driver, Nico Rosberg has won the 2016 Belgian GP.
His talent is undoubted, but his aggression is not to everyone’s liking. He infuriated Raikkonen, a rare feat considering the Finn’s nickname is “The Ice Man” for his usually unflappable demeanour.
All three had to come into the pits for repairs, with the Ferrari team also having to put out a fire under Raikkonen’s vehicle as he was fitted with a new wing. In addition, Pascal Wehrlein and Jenson Button collided on the opening lap at Les Combes.
Rosberg should be nervous with the fearless teenager alongside him.
In a fascinating sub-plot, Verstappen and Raikkonen were involved in another incident as Verstappen appeared to nudge him wide.
With no traffic, however, Rosberg was pulling away. He rejoined ninth, his stop slowed slightly by a rear jack problem.
But with others changing tires, he was soon back up to third.
“So, to come out with a clean race like I did and only lose 10 points [to Rosberg] and now have three new engines is a super bonus”. I’m incredibly proud of my guys in the garage and back at the factory for building these engines and changing these engines this week.
With debris scattered across the track, the virtual safety vehicle was deployed to slow the field down with Hamilton in 13th.
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Verstappen then became a thorn in Ferrari’s side.
