Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 8 Spa was always going to be a tough weekend for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes given Ferrari’s power advantage. But the Briton managed to once again prove his prowess in wet conditions with a superb charge to pole on Saturday. He was powerless to stop Vettel passing on the first lap, with a small mistake costing him a chance to get back ahead on the restart. Realistically though, this was never Hamilton’s race to win. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 7 Hit with a grid penalty for a power unit change, Bottas knew he’d be fighting his way back up the order at Spa. A clumsy run into the back of Sergey Sirotkin on the run to Turn 1 meant he couldn’t capitalise on the other incidents and rise up the order, but the Finn battled through to P4 at the chequered flag. Damage limitation was achieved. Belgian GP - Driver Ratings Video of Belgian GP - Driver Ratings Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 9 This was a vital race for Sebastian Vettel’s title ambitions. Fluffed chances in Germany and Hungary had allowed Hamilton to pull out a decent lead, and it look like he may lose yet more ground when his rival took pole on Saturday. But Vettel played the start well and took the lead into Les Combes, from where he never looked back. The race was in his hands. A well-executed, essential victory. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 7 Bwoah! Another missed chance for Kimi Raikkonen to end his win drought. Ferrari was the team to beat, and this is a track he loves, having won here four times. His pace in practice made him a contender before a strategy gamble from Ferrari backfired in qualifying, leaving him sixth on the grid. This put him in the firing line when chaos unfolded behind, with Raikkonen being the final link in the chain of the incident, suffering a puncture and damage that ultimately forced his retirement. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 6 As Ferrari did with Raikkonen, Red Bull rolled the dice in qualifying, fuelling both Ricciardo and Max Verstappen short. It left them on the fourth row of the grid, with Ricciardo being the unfortunate one to get hit by Fernando Alonso’s flying McLaren. Rear wing damage was repaired, albeit with Ricciardo two laps down by the time it was completed, making it an elongated test more than anything which ended after 28 laps. Max Verstappen, Red Bull - 8 It may not have been the dream result Verstappen had hoped for, but he finally hit the podium at Spa in front of the tens of thousands of Dutch fans who had made the trip across the border for the race. After dodging the start-line drama, Verstappen climbed up to P3 before the end of the first stint, which was really the best he could hope for. A job well done. Sergio Perez, Force India - 9 Sergio Perez didn’t even know if he’d be racing this weekend when he arrived at Spa on Thursday. The turbulent situation surrounding Force India was resolved that evening, allowing the team to race as normal, albeit as a new entry and now last in the championship with zero points. Perez stunned in qualifying with a charge to P4 - had he not missed the flag by one second, he may have got a genuine shot at pole - and then did well in the race to lead Force India’s charge in fifth, only losing a place to Bottas in the closing stages. A weekend to remember for the Mexican. Esteban Ocon, Force India - 9 Ocon spent the weekend in the same boat as Perez, albeit with the added caveat of uncertainty as to whether he’d even be at Monza with Lance Stroll looking set to take his seat. Ocon put all of the noise to the back of his mind to score his best F1 qualifying result in P3 on Saturday. He reckons he was just one more metre away from taking the lead on the run to Les Combes after getting a mega tow, only to back out and play it safe - he had to for the team. After dropping behind Perez, sixth was all Ocon could really manage. But his heroics will be remembered fondly. It’ll be a travesty if he’s not at Spa this weekend. Lance Stroll, Williams - 6 A bit of a better weekend for Williams at Spa, but still no points to show for it. Stroll dropped out in Q1 before rising to 11th through the start-line drama, but then slipped back through the race, eventually finishing 13th behind teammate Sergey Sirotkin. Sergey Sirotkin, Williams - 7 Sirotkin turned in a solid display at Spa, even if - like Stroll - he failed to reach the points. He qualified ahead of his teammate and ran P9 early on, but didn’t have the outright pace to stay inside the top 10, slipping back to 12th at the flag. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault - 4 Hulkenberg had to start near the back after a grid penalty power unit changes, stemming from his practice issue in Hungary, meaning it would always be a fight to grab points - but what followed was unbelievably clumsy. After missing his braking point at La Source, Hulkenberg slammed into the back of Fernando Alonso’s car, triggering the incident that saw the Halo’s worth get proven for the first time in F1. A 10-place grid penalty for Monza was light, all things considered. Carlos Sainz Jr, Renault - 6 Balance issues left Sainz struggling for grip through qualifying on Saturday, resulting in a surprise Q1 elimination. Renault took advantage of his low starting spot to take a fresh set of power unit components, dropping him to the back. Sainz dodged the start-line drama, but never had the pace in the race to quite reach the points, finishing 12 seconds back from Marcus Ericsson in P10. Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso - 8<doc-sep>Clinical and flawless, Sebastian Vettel’s win at the Belgian Grand Prix was reminiscent of some of the German’s untouchable victories during his championship-winning years at Red Bull. He has narrowed the points gap to Lewis Hamilton, who was left expressing not a little concern at the pace Ferrari were able to demonstrate on a circuit where he and Mercedes have previously been so dominant. Hamilton insisted he did not believe Ferrari’s advantage was due to anything illegal but referred to “a few trick things going on in the car” that Mercedes badly need to match. Vettel won by 11 seconds from Hamilton, having taken the lead on the opening lap, after which the superior pace of the Ferrari left the German untroubled at the front. Max Verstappen came up from seventh on the grid to take a well-deserved third place for Red Bull, his best finish at Spa. Vettel has reduced Hamilton’s lead in the title race from 24 points to 17. The German won here for Red Bull in 2011 and 2013, both years he went on to win the title in a car that was the class of the field. He might be forgiven for believing the Ferrari under him now has proved to have a similarly impressive edge, something Hamilton readily acknowledged as he called on greater efforts from his team. “I did everything I could and we ultimately did well, but he drove past me like I was not there,” he said. “We have to keep pushing to see what we can do. They have got a few trick things going on in the car, I did what I could, we did what we could so we have to keep working.” Both Ferrari and Mercedes brought new engines to Belgium and the Scuderia already possessed a straight‑line speed advantage. But at Spa it looked to have become of a different order altogether, prompting Hamilton’s concern. Asked if he believed it was legal he said: “I don’t know what is on their car so I couldn’t tell you either way.” However, when pressed the British driver was adamant he believed Ferrari had simply done a better job. “I’m not saying there is anything illegal,” he said. “We all have something, tricks, a trick is just something that helps you bring that extra performance. Please don’t twist my words to say that I say they are doing it illegally, because they are not. They just outperformed us today and we have to work harder.” This was Ferrari’s first win here since 2009. Vettel was hugely pleased by his team’s performance, especially in light of their failure to match Mercedes’ development last season. “I hope we have more power, that’s what we are working for,” he said. “If that is the case then well done to our engine guys. We have been making progress in the last two years and that’s good news. I wouldn’t disagree that this year in terms of power we are a lot closer than last year. Last year we didn’t have a chance here.” He had not been able to match Hamilton in qualifying in the wet and was second on the grid. But the Ferrari had been very strong all weekend in the dry conditions that were repeated on Sunday and Vettel made the most of it. The power-dependent Spa fell to a resurgent Scuderia who look ominously strong for the next rounds at Monza and Singapore. Last year Hamilton was able to skilfully deny Vettel with his track position from pole, backing the German up through Eau Rouge when he challenged, but the superior pace of the Ferrari this year meant Vettel would not be denied. The front runners had got away cleanly but Nico Hülkenberg shunted Fernando Alonso going into La Source, sending the Spaniard airborne and into the top of Charles Leclerc’s Sauber. His halo cockpit protection took some of the impact which will perhaps end any further speculation on whether the device should have been imposed. Sebastian Vettel celebrates his victory for Ferrari in the Belgian F1 Grand Prix. Photograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images The safety car was deployed as a result but crucially Vettel had already made his move. The German successfully slipstreamed Hamilton on the Kemmel Straight and had the job done going through Les Combes. The overtake he was denied last year was executed perfectly, with nothing Hamilton could do. Vettel had established a lead and went on to win with a consummate run reminiscent of those heady days at Red Bull. Hamilton admitted that while he briefly tried to push, he ultimately had to accept the German could not be caught. “He was doing times I could not match,” he said. “So it came to a point where it was sensible to save the engine and get to the finish line.” He leaves to lick his wounds before Monza next weekend, where he must hope Mercedes can extract more from their car. Vettel, in contrast, goes into the final eight-race run-in, still behind on points but having given definitive notice that on track he is now the man in front. Quick Guide Belgian F1 GP results Show 1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 1hr 23min 34.476sec, 2 Lewis Hamilton (GB) Mercedes 1:23:45.537, 3 Max Verstappen (Neth) Red Bull 1:24:05.848, 4 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Mercedes 1:24:43.081, 5 Sergio Pérez (Mex) Force India 1:24:45.499, 6 Esteban Ocon (Fr) Force India 1:24:53.996, 7 Romain Grosjean (Fr) Haas 1:25:00.429, 8 Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas 1:25:02.115, 9 Pierre Gasly (Fr) Toro Rosso 1:25:20.338, 10 Marcus Ericsson (Swe) Sauber at 1 Lap, 11 Carlos Sainz Jr (Sp) Renault at 1 Lap, 12 Sergey Sirotkin (Rus) Williams at 1 Lap, 13 Lance Stroll (Can) Williams at 1 Lap, 14 Brendon Hartley (NZ) Toro Rosso at 1 Lap, 15 Stoffel Vandoorne (Bel) McLaren at 1 Lap Not classified: 16 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Red Bull 28 Laps completed, 17 Kimi Räikkönen (Fin) Ferrari 8 Laps completed, 18 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Sauber 0 Laps completed, 19 Fernando Alonso (Sp) McLaren 0 Laps completed, 20 Nico Hülkenberg (Ger) Renault 0 Laps completed Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback.<doc-sep>Last updated on .From the section Formula 1 Follow live audio and text commentary of the second practice session on the BBC Sport website from 13:30 BST Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time in first practice at the Belgian Grand Prix as the Formula 1 season restarted after its summer break. The Ferrari driver headed Red Bull's Max Verstappen and championship leader Lewis Hamilton, whose Mercedes was 0.318 seconds off Vettel's pace. Hamilton leads Vettel by 24 points with nine races left. Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who was fifth, will start from the back because of engine penalties. Mick Schumacher - My dad is my idol Both Mercedes drivers have new, upgraded engines for this weekend and that has taken the Finn over the permitted number of some parts for the season. Mercedes will expect him to be able to fight through the field into a strong points position on a track on which it is relatively easy to overtake. Renault's Nico Hulkenberg will also start from the back for the same reason. Ferrari also have their final, upgraded new-spec engine in both cars this weekend. It was a relatively uneventful session, although Verstappen ran wide through the ultra-fast double-left Pouhon corner towards the end of the session, without causing any damage. Behind Hamilton, Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, the early pace-setter in the session on a track where he always goes well, was fourth, ahead of Bottas and Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, who managed only one flying lap at the end of the session as a result of engine injector problems. Further back, Lando Norris made an apparently accomplished race weekend debut for McLaren, driving Fernando Alonso's car for this first session. The 18-year-old Briton had an incident-free session on his way to 18th fastest time on the slowest medium tyre, just under 0.1secs quicker than team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne on the faster soft. At 7.004km long, Spa is the longest current F1 circuit However, McLaren's hopes of forming an impression of their relative pace - as they assess who to employ as their second driver following the signing of Carlos Sainz to replace Alonso next season - were dashed because Vandoorne had a session troubled by technical problems. McLaren sporting director Gil de Ferran said: "We have been investing in Lando for a fair few years and we are trying to give him as much exposure as possible. "This is an opportunity for him to drive on a grand prix weekend, with a lot more people on the track, a lot of track evolution and a completely different downforce level. We keep walking the development road." Esteban Ocon, driving for a Force India team under new ownership after being rescued from administration earlier this month, was best of the rest in seventh. Hulkenberg, the second Force India of Sergio Perez and Sainz completed the top 10.<doc-sep>Lewis Hamilton has claimed Ferrari used "tricks" to aide rival Sebastian Vettel's romp to victory at the Belgian Grand Prix. Ferrari's Vettel took the chequered flag a comfortable 11 seconds clear at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit to reduce Hamilton's championship lead to 17 points. Unlike in the wet of qualifying 24 hours earlier, Hamilton was no match for Vettel in the dry conditions with the German driver sealing the win following an opening-lap passing move. Hamilton held off Vettel on the short dash to La Source, but could not prevent the Ferrari car from sailing past him after the uphill exit of Eau Rouge and on to the Kemmel Straight. F1 2018 grid Show all 30 1 /30 F1 2018 grid F1 2018 grid Mercedes Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Lewis Hamilton Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Valtteri Bottas Getty F1 2018 grid Ferrari Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Sebastian Vettel Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Kimi Raikkonen Getty F1 2018 grid Red Bull Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Daniel Ricciardo Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Max Verstappen Getty F1 2018 grid Force India Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Sergio Perez Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Esteban Ocon Getty F1 2018 grid Williams Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Lance Stroll Getty F1 2018 grid In contention: Daniil Kvyat Robert Kubica Paul Di Resta Getty F1 2018 grid Toro Rosso Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Brendon Hartley Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Pierre Gasly Getty F1 2018 grid Renault Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Nico Hulkenberg Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Carlos Sainz Getty F1 2018 grid Haas Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Kevin Magnussen Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Romain Grosjean Getty F1 2018 grid McLaren Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Fernando Alonso Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Stoffel Vandoorne Getty F1 2018 grid Sauber Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Charles Leclerc Getty F1 2018 grid Confirmed: Marcus Ericsson Getty Ferrari are able to deploy more power from their engine than Mercedes, which provides them with a greater advantage on the straights. Recommended Alonso credits halo for saving Leclerc from serious injury "They [Ferrari] have got a few trick things going on in the car so we have got to keep pushing," Hamilton cryptically said in the moments after the race. Ferrari have been subjected to a series of investigations about their engine by Formula One's governing body, the FIA, this season, but have not been found guilty of any wrongdoing. Hamilton later added: "We all have trick things on our car, but I guess trick is a word for something special." Asked if he thought the Ferrari car was legal, he replied: "I don't know what is on their car so I can't tell you either way." Vettel's victory saw him close the gap in the championship (Getty) This season marks the first time in the post-2013 hybrid era that Mercedes does not have the best package. Hamilton's Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff, added: "It is human nature that if you are outperformed on track, you look at yourself, and then you look at your competitors. If you can't find an explanation then you imagine all the nasty things. "I haven't got any information but I have faith in the [Formula One's governing body] FIA. They are on top of things that control every team. As far as I am concerned the FIA are doing the right things." Hamilton wasn't pleased after the race (REUTERS) Vettel's victory was the 52nd of his career, which moves him ahead of Alain Prost and behind only Michael Schumacher and Hamilton in terms of all-time wins. Crucially, the result ensures the German is firmly back in the championship hunt following Hamilton's back-to-back wins before the summer break. It is also a timely victory for Ferrari with their home race in Italy to come next week. "This is a great win for the whole team and I hope in Monza it will be the same," Vettel said. "But we need to keep fighting to always be up there."<doc-sep>
Sebastian Vettel won the Belgian GP to close his points deficit to Lewis Hamilton to just 17. SEBASTIAN Vettel cut Lewis Hamilton’s F1 title lead to 17 points with a comfortable Belgian GP victory after overtaking his Mercedes rival on the opening lap. A big first-corner crash for Fernando Alonso was the race’s most dramatic moment but Vettel’s pass on Hamilton moments later into Les Combes was the most significant as the Ferrari driver took control of a race he never relinquished. “We had a new engine this weekend which gave us a little bit more power and a little bit of a help and boost down the straight,” said Vettel. “When it all comes together it’s good to see that it works and we had the pace.” Get 3 months free Sport HD + Entertainment on a 12 month plan and watch the 2018 Heineken Italian Grand Prix LIVE & EXCLUSIVE and ad-break free during racing on FOX SPORTS. T&Cs apply. SIGN UP NOW > RESULTS: Click here for full results from the Belgian GP And Hamilton admitted: “They just blitzed us today. 11 seconds is a big, big gap.” Vettel’s victory, Ferrari’s first at Spa since 2009, was the 52nd of his career and puts him ahead of Alain Prost and behind only Hamilton and Michael Schumacher in F1’s all-time victory table. It also reinvigorates Ferrari’s title challenge ahead of their home race at Monza next Sunday, live only on FOX SPORTS. Lewis Hamilton finished the Belgian GP in second place. Source: AFP Max Verstappen finished a fine but distant third from seventh on the grid, with the Red Bull driver overtaking the Force India drivers early on after their stunning qualifying performance. Force India pair Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon were eventually shuffled back to fifth and sixth positions as Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, despite an early pit stop for a wing change, raced from 18th to fourth after engine grid penalties. However, just days after they were officially rescued from administration and their points before Spa were wiped, fifth and sixth immediately moved Force India back ahead of Williams and on to the tail of Sauber in the standings. Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo both retired after their cars sustained damage in separate incidents to Alonso at a chaotic first corner. Sky F1’s Martin Brundle said: “Vettel’s race craft has been great. Attacked on the opening lap before the Safety Car came out and defended where he had to on the restart.” Anthony Davidson added: “Ferrari have had the fastest car for a long time and this was a brilliant race from Vettel. He was masterful and unbeatable. “Mercedes had no answer.” ALONSO GOES AIRBORNE AT SPA - AGAIN McLaren were already enduring a weekend to forget before lead driver Fernando Alonso was spectacularly punted out of the race at the first corner by Nico Hulkenberg’s out-of-control Renault. Getting his braking wrong as he attempted to make up ground after grid penalties, Hulkenberg slammed into the back of Alonso’s car which sent the McLaren airborne and up and over Charles Leclerc’s Sauber. All three drivers retired immediately but emerged unscathed from the chain reaction, with the halo head protection device on Leclerc’s car successfully deflecting the flying McLaren. “I saw Hulkenberg in the mirrors with all four tyres locked and he was coming at very high speed,” an unimpressed Alonso told Sky F1. “There is no way you can avoid that. He hit my car and then I went over Charles. “But on the positive side we are all ok, with Charles, with the Halo or whatever, it’s good news that all three of us are ok. “It’s a good proof [for the halo]. We didn’t need any proof, but it’s a good thing. Something similar to 2012 at the start. When you miss so much the braking point and hit someone at that speed you need to think a little bit twice next time.” Hulkenberg told stewards he had ‘completely misjudged’ his braking and was handed a 10-second grid penalty for next Sunday’s race in Italy. Vettel passed Hamilton on the run to Les Combes on Lap 1, holding off both Racing Point Force Indias.