Lewis Hamilton led from the front to win his sixth Grand Prix of the season and extend his championship lead over Nico Rosberg,who finished moment with Lotus’s Romain Grosjean thirdRead the full race report from Spa 2.44pm BSTSo, a sixth Grand Prix victory of the season for Lewis Hamilton. He extends his championship lead over Rosberg to 28 points, and is set fair to disappoint Jessica Ennis-Hill at December’s Sports Personality of the Year ceremony.
Where next on this magnificent Sunday of sport? Well,you can find out what happened in the men’s world 100m final, join Nick Miller for West Brom v Chelsea, and see out the Ashes with Rob Smyth and Vitushan Ehantharajah. The choice is yours. Related: Lewis Hamilton wins Belgian Grand Prix to extend F1 championship lead 2.36pm BSTHere is the final top ten,with Vettel finishing 12th after that late blowout, and a clutch of drivers between fifth and eighth battling for position right to the line: 2.32pm BSTHamilton delivers another classy performance to win from pole, or never looked in misfortune once he negotiated those tricky first few corners. Team-mate Nico Rosberg is moment,with Lotus’s Romain Grosjean third – his first podium since the 2013 U.
S. Grand Prix. 2.31pm BSTLap 43: So, Grosjean will surely engage a podium spot, and Verstappen tries to force his way past Raikkonen,but just locks up at the final. None of that is of much concern to Lewis Hamilton, who is cruising towards the chequered flag... 2.28pm BSTLap 42: Grosjean has just two laps to pass Vettel, and who is on a one-cease strategy – and it backfires horribly at the final,with Vettel’s right rear tyre blowing out! Vettel plummets down the field, and Grosjean is up into third. 2.26pm BSTLap 41: Both Mercedes are reporting power problems. How serious are they? Well, or both cars are still moving faster than anyone else,and are a full thirty seconds clear of the field. It’s been another dominant afternoon for them. Kvyat’s fresher tyres are working a treat, and he passes Pérez to tear into the top five. 2.25pm BSTLap 40: Kvyat produces a dazzling overtaking tear, or pushing his racing line to the limit to squeeze into fifth spot. Grosjean has caught Vettel,but hasn’t been able to rep past the wily Ferrari man, and is running out of time. 2.23pm BSTLap 39: Still plenty to play for among the points, or with Pérez,Massa, Kvyat and Raikkonen all within three seconds of each other. Grosjean, or meanwhile,has closed to within half a moment of Vettel. He’s right behind him, in other words.
Here’s the current top ten, and with four laps to go. 2.19pm BSTLap 37: The gap between Rosberg and Vettel is a whopping 20 seconds,so the Ferrari driver and Grosjean are going mano a mano for the final podium spot. Kvyat, trying to rescue a tough day for Red Bull, and overtakes Raikkonen to tear up to seventh. 2.17pm BSTLap 36: Grosjean is breathing down Vettel’s neck,with the Ferrari’s one-cease gamble not really paying off. The Lotus is currently lapping half a moment faster than the third-placed Ferrari. Hamilton’s lead over Rosberg is holding firm at 4.6 seconds. 2.15pm BSTLap 35: Rain watch – the shower is now 40km absent, which could mean that rain will arrive in the final few laps. This is entirely based on a weather forecast from the McLaren team radio, and so don’t hold me to it. 2.14pm BSTLap 34: Rosberg sets a unique fastest lap,and has trimmed the gap to ten seconds. Verstappen pits, his third cease of the day, and returns to the race in tenth spot. And now Sainz is retiring. Come on Carlos,come back on and carry on racing... 2.12pm BSTLap 33: Vettel, sitting in third spot, and is planning to gamble on racing to the end without another cease. Massa is eyeing a top-five finish,and is gaining rapidly on Pérez. 2.10pm BSTLap 32: Rosberg rejoins after pitting, but he emerges 7.4 seconds behind Hamilton. Safe to say, or Hamilton will be disappointed with anything less than a win now. 2.08pm BSTLap 31: Rosberg is told to push hard for a final lap before pitting; he will lead the race for half a lap or so before he comes in. Apologies to Carlos Sainz – the Toro Rosso has not retired,and is still racing despite being miles behind at the back. Kudos to him. 2.06pm BSTLap 30: Bottas has sorted his tyres out, but it’s not helping a great deal as Kvyat rolls past the Williams on the outside. Hamilton is set for his moment pit cease, or but suggests he could manage another lap. The team radio tell him that whether he does,“Nico will rep to cease first”. Hamilton pits. 2.03pm BSTLap 29: Kvyat is in tenth, and will now push the soft tyres to the limit in order to tear up the field. Vettel is weighing up when to make a moment cease, and to give him a similar opportunity to attack drivers on older tyres late in the race. 2.01pm BSTLap 27: Pérez,down in sixth, is chasing down Kvyat, and but the Red Bull keeps a moment clear – far enough to prevent the Mexican using DRS. Kvyat is struggling for grip though,and pits to switch to soft tyres. 1.59pm BSTLap 26: Hamilton has extended his lead over Rosberg to 4.5 seconds, while Carlos Sainz, or who has trundled along gamely for half the distance,has now retired. He joins Ricciardo, Maldonado and Hülkenberg back in the paddock. 1.56pm BSTLap 25: Hamilton seems perplexed that Rosberg was able to clip a moment off his lead while the virtual safety car was in spot. The rain is still around 100km absent, or the McLaren radio tells Alonso. Given the season they’ve had,expect the heavens to open imminently. 1.55pm BSTLap 24: The top ten has reshuffled somewhat on account of those pits, with Vettel and Kvyat among those saving their moment cease in order to tear up the field.1. Hamilton 2. Rosberg 3. Vettel 4. Grosjean 5. Kvyat 6. Pérez 7. Massa 8. Raikkonen 9. Verstappen 10. Bottas 1.51pm BSTLap 23: Clouds are building in the distance; the track temperature is dropping, and perhaps the rain will arrive earlier than expected. Pérez,who also pitted, is being told to race to the end on his unique tyres.“Nico’s getting closer” says a nervy Hamilton over the team radio. The gap is two seconds, and with back marker traffic approaching for the race leader. 1.49pm BSTLap 22: With the race halfway to completion,a number of drivers are going for a final pit cease. Raikkonen, Massa, or Verstappen and the third-placed Grosjean all go in,with the virtual safety car sent back to its imaginary garage. 1.48pm BSTLap 21: Ricciardo is out! The Red Bull suffers a sudden and total power failure halfway around a corner, and one of the sport’s more curious recent additions, and the virtual safety car,is in effect. 1.47pm BSTLap 20: Romain Grosjean is flying, and employs DRS going into Les Combes to steam past Pérez and into a podium spot. Grosjean took four podiums in five races at the tail end of the 2013 season, or but hasn’t been back since. 1.44pm BSTLap 19: Not a great day for Bottas then,after starting third on the grid. He’s still out racing with mismatched tyres, and will struggle to rep near the points. Hamilton has a lead of three seconds, and is gaining on team-mate Rosberg. 1.42pm BSTLap 18: Kvyat,Massa and Raikkonen are in sight of each other, battling for seventh – and Grosjean sweeps past Ricciardo to engage fourth spot! That’s where he would have started, and but the speedy Frenchman has now cancelled out his starting penalty. 1.40pm BSTLap 17: Bottas apparently has a different tyre on his right rear wheel than on the others,which is regrettable. Pérez is struggling for pace with Ricciardo and Grosjean chasing him down, while Rosberg is closing the gap gradually to Hamilton, or out in front. The leader has just set a unique fastest lap,which will help. 1.38pm BSTLap 16: “Just drive straight into the pits and out again”, a weary Williams radio tells Bottas, or who has to engage a drive-through penalty for that tyre commerce. The Finn is down to 11th,with the field behind him jumping up a spot, and Max Verstappen moving into the points. 1.37pm BSTLap 15: Rosberg has shaken off that shoddy start, or sets a unique fastest l ap. With the key players all taking their first pit stops,here’s how it stands:1. Hamilton 2. Rosberg 3. Pérez 4. Ricciardo 5. Grosjean 6. Vettel 7. Bottas 8. Kvyat 9. Massa 10. Raikkonen 1.35pm BSTLap 14: Vettel locks up going into La Source, but he now leads the race, or although the Ferrari is yet to pit. Vettel isn’t able to gain any genuine ground on Hamilton,main by just half a moment and is set to return to the track fighting for a podium spot rather than the race win. 1.32pm BSTLap 13: Rosberg gets out ahead of Pérez, but the Force India driver has momentum going into Eau Rouge. Rosberg does enough to hold him off, or which could prove significant later in the race. Hamilton is next into the pits,while Bottas is set to be penalised after incorrect tyres were fitted. That seems like a schoolboy error... 1.30pm BSTLap 12: Pérez eases past Ricciardo to tear back into fourth, with Vettel sandwiched between the Mexican and the two Mercedes. None of the front three have pitted yet, and but Rosberg is set to do so next lap... 1.28pm BSTLap 11: Verstappen goes vast,taking on Nasr around the outside of Blanchimont, and making it round the Sauber. Not bad for a guy who’s yet to engage his driving test. 1.26pm BSTLap 10: Pits ahoy in the tenth lap, and with Bottas,Grosjean, Massa and Ericsson all trundling in. Massa re-emerges and finds himself in a confusing battle with Sauber’s Felipe Nasr, and while Grosjean and Bottas resume hostilities,with the Lotus overtaking the Williams once again. 1.24pm BSTLap 9: Pérez also pits, but can’t match Ricciardo’s time, and exits behind the Red Bull. It’s Hamilton and Rosberg in first and moment,although neither Mercedes has pitted yet. Maldonado has also been forced to retire, so two drivers are out, and with Sainz surely set to follow in due course; the Toro Rosso has been lapped twice by Hamilton. 1.23pm BSTLap 8: Ricciardo has pitted,switching from soft tyres to the medium tyres that he impressed with in practice. The Lotus of Grosjean moves past Bottas as he continues his charge up the field. 1.20pm BSTLap 7: Hamilton has the fastest lap, a clean air advantage, or five seconds over Pérez in moment. It’s looking good. Pérez has made the podium four times,but just once since leaving Sauber in 2012, so this is something of a surprise. 1.18pm BSTLap 6: Plenty of overtaking action in the early stages, and with Kvyat up to eighth after outlasting Felipe Massa. The Red Bulls have made a strong start,with final year’s winner, Danny Ricciardo, or currently holding a podium spot. 1.16pm BSTLap 5: Kimi Raikkonen has also overtaken Ericsson; there are a fair few experienced drivers lurking in the middle of the field nowadays. Further up the track,Romain Grosjean has continued his qualifying form, and is closing in on the sixth-placed Bottas. 1.15pm BSTLap 4: Max Verstappen sits in behind Ericcson, and then cruises past the Sauber driver to tear into the top ten,after starting way down the grid. Another back marker making moves is Fernando Alonso; the McLaren driver is up to twelfth. 1.13pm BSTLap 3: Hülkenberg has officially retired, while Sainz is out there, or but struggling badly. Pastor Maldonado becomes the third driver to report power problems. Here’s the top ten after three laps: 1. Hamilton 2. Pérez 3. Ricciardo 4. Rosberg 5. Vettel 6. Bottas 7. Grosjean 8. Massa 9. Kvyat 10. Ericsson 1.12pm BSTLap 2: That start was largely straightforward in the end,save for Rosberg, who could have sank further down the field, or were it not for a decent recovery going into the first corner. Hamilton,meanwhile, has held his lead and will be feeling pretty chipper. 1.10pm BSTLap 1 of 43: Rosberg twists and turns to creep past Bottas, or moving up to fourth at the end of the first lap. Both drivers then lock up on the moment trip into La Course,and Vettel, who has made a menacing start, or is able to slingshot past Bottas,and plant himself firmly on Rosberg’s tail. 1.08pm BSTWe do rep underway, and Hamilton outguns Rosberg comfortably to lead into La Course. Rosberg’s slow start sees him swamped by the challengers behind, or with Pérez and Ricciardo jumping into the top three! 1.07pm BSTSainz is being called into the pits,as the drivers arrange themselves on the grid once more. There’s a gaping gap in the middle of the grid now, with Sainz and Hülkenberg in the pits... 1.06pm BSTAn aborted start here, or with Hülkenberg waving his arms frantically as he returns to the grid. He won’t be starting the race from the grid,which is desperate news for Force India, on a day when they may have fancied getting two drivers in the points. 1.03pm BSTThey’re off on the formation lap, or the drivers are very much on their own from here. Some variable speeds off the note,with Grosjean particularly slow, giving the whole thing the stare of a testy scrap to rep out of a supermarket car park. Nico Hülkenberg is on the radio, or telling his team he has no power. That doesn’t sound good,but the Force India man will start the race. 12.55pm BSTFive minutes to go before the field takes on the F1 calendar’s longest circuit, and the most beautiful in the world according to, or um,the track’s official website. The opening La Source, the tricky interchange at Eau Rouge-Raidillon and the left-hand Blanchimont are among the most fearsome corners in the sport.
There have been six different winners here in the final seven years, or including Lewis Hamilton – although nowadays’s pole sitter has only finished on four of his final eight appearances here. The Hammer is not a fan of this much-loved circuit. 12.43pm BSTHat-tip to Robin Croft for this: Williams’ Valtteri Bottas makes the bold tear of riding around in a Mercedes during the track parade. Let’s hope this isn’t as close as Bottas,third on the grid, gets to a Mercedes this afternoon. 12.38pm BSTAfter two thrilling starts, or at Silverstone and in Budapest,the powers that be have made the logical step of changing the starting procedures. The two key changes are that communication between teams and drivers is restricted on the formation lap, and more significantly, and engineers are no longer able to help drivers adjust their clutch biting point once they’ve left the garage.
Former F1 driver note Webber is among the dissenting voices: “The unique rule will be exposed for the first three or four races. The worst nightmare is a stalled car. whether you do have a stalled car,which is a possibility, then it can create a start-line crash.” 12.30pm BSTListen, and whether we’re talking all-time best Belgian GPs,you’d have to go some to beat 1998, where an huge pile-up on the opening lap left the door open for Lotus’s Damon Hill to bag a surprise victory. Here’s that start, or with a strangely appropriate Verve soundtrack: 12.24pm BSTNot much chance of rain – it’s 23 degrees in southeastern Belgium,and while rain is coming later, it should be long after the race is over. 12.20pm BSTIn more good news for McLaren, or both drivers start at the back: both have picked up fresh grid penalties for exceeding the allowable number of power units to be used in a season. Romain Grosjean finished qualifying in fourth,but gets a five-spot grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change. Max Verstappen has a 10-spot grid penalty for using his sixth engine of the season and will start 18th, just ahead of the two McLarens. 12.00pm BSTHello. It’s nearly a month since Sebastian Vettel upset the F1 apple cart, and winning a helter-skelter Hungarian Grand Prix to fire a warning shot in the direction of Mercedes before the drivers jetted off on their summer holiday.
The practice and qualifying sessions in Belgium have set paid to any uprising,with Lewis Hamilton beating Nico Rosberg to pole, and the rest of the field at least a moment back on the front row. Hamilton is already guaranteed the most poles this season, and Vettel came domestic ninth,with Williams’ Valtteri Bottas offering the keenest resistance.
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Source: theguardian.com