Nico Rosberg Wins Calamity-Filled Belgian Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg won an exciting Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, but the day also involved several major wrecks.

The rolling hills of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium provided an interesting return from Formula One‘s summer break. Nico Rosberg captured another victory in pursuit of his first F1 championship, but the Belgian Grand Prix wasn’t without drama both in the race and before it even started.

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Entering Sunday, Rosberg’s teammate and championship leader Lewis Hamilton had a massive grid penalty handed to him for engine changes. It totaled a 55-place deduction, automatically relegating Hamilton to last, and he would be joined on the back row by McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, who went through three engines himself.

But the two drivers would not stay there for long and worked their way through the field with Hamilton claiming a podium finish behind Rosberg and Daniel Ricciardo.

He and Alsonso weren’t alone in having setbacks. Calamity was the word of the day for many in the field. On the very first lap Pascal Wehrlein would slam into Jenson Button, ending both of their days, while Carlos Sainz Jr. of Toro Rosso suffered a puncture that damaged his rear suspension. Sainz was forced to retire.

Later on in the day the two Ferraris of Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen came together with Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing. All three cars sustained damage while racing into La Source as the result of yet another incident where Verstappen and Raikkonen collided.

The most harrowing of Sunday’s wrecks would come when Kevin Magnussen of Renault lost control in the Eau Rouge curves. His car hit the outside barrier at over 180 mph and Magnussen injured his ankle in the incident. His participation in next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix is now in question.

You can watch video of the crash below:

The Belgian Grand Prix podium was settled when Rosberg held off a hard-charging Ricciardo for the victory, but it was Hamilton’s drive from 21st place to third that stole the headlines as he minimized the potential damage of having the worst starting position possible. He continues to hold the championship lead too, but it’s narrowed to just nine points over Rosberg.

Here are the race results for the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix:

1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, Mercedes AMG Petronas
2. Daniel Ricciardo, Tag Heuer, Red Bull Racing
3. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Mercedes AMG Petronas
4. Nico Hulkenberg, Mercedes, Force India
5. Sergio Perez, Mercedes, Force India
6. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, Scuderia Ferrari
7. Fernando Alonso, Honda, McLaren
8. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, Williams Racing
9. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, Scuderia Ferrari
10. Felipe Massa, Mercedes, Williams Racing
11. Max Verstappen, Tag Heuer, Red Bull Racing
12. Esteban Gutierrez, Ferrari, Haas F1
13. Romain Grosjean, Ferrari, Haas F1
14. Daniil Kvyat, Ferrari, Scuderia Toro Rosso
15. Jolyon Palmer, Renault, Renault Sport
16. Esteban Ocon, Mercedes, Manor Racing
17. Felipe Nasr, Ferrari, Sauber
18. Kevin Magnussen, Renault, Renault Sport
19. Marcus Ericsson, Ferrari, Sauber
20. Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari, Scuderia Toro Rosso
21. Jenson Button, Honda, McLaren
22. Pascal Wehrlein, Mercedes, Manor Racing

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The next event for the Formula One world championship is the fast and furious racing at Monza. Coverage of the Italian Grand Prix can be seen on Sunday, Sep. 4 at 7:00 a.m. ET on NBCSN.