Lewis Hamilton scored an important victory on Sunday in the Belgian Grand Prix, closing down on Sebastian Vettel’s Formula One championship lead.
The summer break is over for Formula One fans, meaning the final run to the championship is now underway. First, though, the best drivers on the planet must tackle the winding twists and turns of Circuit Spa-Francorchamps. On Sunday, it was Lewis Hamilton who proved himself worthy of being a title favorite, winning the Belgian Grand Prix.
Hamilton, who won his 58th F1 race in his 200th career start, had to hold off Sebastian Vettel all day for the victory. Vettel was never more than two seconds behind the former champion, stalking him through the final laps of the race. Vettel would ultimately have to settle for 2nd, seeing his championship lead cut from 14 points down to just seven.
Following Hamilton and Vettel home for the checkered flag was Daniel Ricciardo in 3rd, Kimi Raikkonen in 4th, and Valtteri Bottas in 5th. It was a surprising run to the podium for Red Bull Racing, holding off the group of “second men” at F1’s top two teams.
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Drama happened early for the hometown favorite Max Verstappen, who was eliminated on lap eight after losing power in his Red Bull Racing machine. The on-track drama continued later with not one but two instances of contact between teammates at Force India. Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon continued their internal battle, leading to Perez finishing outside of the points on Sunday.
Here are the full race results from the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps:
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Mercedes AMG Petronas
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, Scuderia Ferrari
- Daniel Ricciardo, Tag Heuer, Red Bull Racing
- Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, Scuderia Ferrari
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, Mercedes AMG Petronas
- Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, Renault Sport
- Romain Grosjean, Ferrari, Haas F1
- Felipe Massa, Mercedes, Williams Martini Racing
- Esteban Ocon, Mercedes, Force India
- Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault, Scuderia Toro Rosso
- Lance Stroll, Mercedes, Williams Martini Racing
- Daniil Kvyat, Renault, Scuderia Toro Rosso
- Jolyon Palmer, Renault, Renault Sport
- Stoffel Vandoorne, Honda, McLaren
- Kevin Magnussen, Ferrari, Haas F1
- Marcus Ericsson, Ferrari, Sauber
- Sergio Perez, Mercedes, Force India
- Fernando Alonso, Honda, McLaren
- Max Verstappen, Tag Heuer, Red Bull Racing
- Pascal Wehrlein, Ferrari, Sauber
Next: Lewis Hamilton's Greatness in 199 Starts
The next race from the Formula One world championship comes in one week’s time from one of racing’s most historic circuits. Catch the Italian Grand Prix from Monza on Sunday, September 3. Coverage can be seen live on NBCSN.