‘It wasn’t the easiest of races’ – Lewis Hamilton cruises to victory in Belgian Grand Prix
- Six-times world champion is just two short of former Ferrari great Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 91
- Briton extends his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship as he wins his fourth race of the season
Lewis Hamilton, starting from pole, led every lap of the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday as he cruised to his fourth victory in the last five races of this season.
Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas was second, 8.448 seconds behind, and Max Verstappen of Red Bull was third. The top three were in the same order throughout the race.
“It wasn’t the easiest of races,” said reigning champion Hamilton. “I had a lock up into Turn 5 which started to give a bit of vibration and the tyre temps were slowly dropping. It was a bit of a struggle but nonetheless I think it was OK. I was a little nervous we might have something like at Silverstone with the tyre so I was nursing it.”
Hamilton added: “I am 35 going towards 36 but I feel better than ever. That is a positive and I am really grateful to the team.”
The Renault pair, Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon, were fourth and fifth.
Hamilton’s latest win lifted him 47 points clear of Verstappen in the overall standings after 10 of this season’s 17 races. Bottas closed the gap to Verstappen but remained third.
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The race was preceded by a minute’s silence and an anti-racism demonstration by the Formula One drivers and teams before the singing of the national anthem and the race.
The minute’s silence was held in memory of French racing driver Anthoine Hubert who died after crashing in an F2 race last year.
Hubert’s mother was present at the ceremony and all of the F1 cars will run carrying an emblem reading AH19 in his memory.
Hubert was a close friend of many of the drivers including Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, Pierre Gasly of Alpha Tauri and Esteban Ocon of Renault.
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As at all of this year’s races, the drivers also assembled in an anti-racism protest with 13 drivers taking a knee and seven, as previously, standing. All wore ‘End Racism’ t-shirts, except defending six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton who wore a “Black Lives Matter” T-shirt.
Ferrari, winners in Belgium for the last two years, finished out of the points. Already enduring a miserable weekend, their lack of speed was laid bare down the Spa track’s long straights, with rivals picking them off with ease.
Sebastian Vettel, once again questioning the team’s strategy, was 13th. Charles Leclerc, winner last year from pole position, could do no better than 14th.
The Italian team’s form even drew a shake of the head from Sainz, who is set to replace Vettel at the Maranello-based squad next season.
The race was largely incident-free with the exception of an early safety car sent out after a crash involving Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi and George Russell in a Williams.
The Italian lost control of his car at the exit of the fast Fagnes chicane.
Russell, running behind Giovinazzi, collected a loose wheel that came off the Alfa Romeo, leaving debris strewn across the track.
Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.
