SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium – By all appearances, Formula One’s annual summer break was exactly what Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel needed, as he recorded a near-perfect performance during Sunday’s Johnnie Walker Belgian Grand Prix.
After two races of watching title rival Lewis Hamilton stand atop the podium before the month-long sojourn, Vettel struck back at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, taking the lead on the opening lap with a brilliant pass of polesitter Hamilton at turn seven of the historic course.
Vettel then led every lap en route to his 52nd Formula One victory, moving him past Alain Prost and into sole possession of third on the all-time wins list.
Sunday’s performance also allowed Vettel to slash Hamilton’s points lead down to just 17 markers with eight races remaining in the season.
“More wins than Alain … wow,” said a stunned Vettel. “We had a great start. I’m not sure who it was that pushed me quite far to the left there, but I knew my chance would be later on up the hill and I think I timed it very well. Last year we ended up short, but this year was better and it worked out well. The timing was crucial and I feel like I managed that perfectly.
“As soon as I was a head, it was quite a relief,” Vettel added. “The restart was clean and once we got to the lead after the pit stop, then we could control the pace a bit more. This was a great weekend.”
With Vettel’s win on Sunday, Ferrari took their first win at Spa since 2009. It was also Vettel’s first triumph in Belgium since 2013 and his third overall.
The start of the race was marred by a spectacular crash, precipitated by Nico Hulkenberg overcooking the run down to turn one, where Hulkenberg pounded the back of Fernando Alonso’s McLaren and sent Alonso airborne over the top of Charles Leclerc’s Sauber.
Alonso’s car came to rest on all four wheels amid a massive debris field, but all drivers involved escaped unharmed.
Meanwhile, Vettel made what proved to be the definitive move of the race coming up the Kemmel Straight, using the slipstream to dart around Hamilton as the Racing Point Force India pair of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez – who started from the second row of the grid – aspired to make it four-wide for the race lead entering the Les Combes chicane.
Somehow, all four challengers made it through unscathed, with the safety car being deployed moments later and sealing Vettel’s pass of Hamilton for the lead and eventual win.
Once Vettel controlled the restart on the fifth circuit, he never relinquished control again, despite making his one and only pit stop right at the halfway point of the 44-lap event.
Though Hamilton tried to undercut Vettel by pitting one lap sooner, he caught Max Verstappen on his out lap and was held up just enough for Vettel to escape out of DRS range.
Hamilton made quick work of Verstappen to reclaim second coming up the Kemmel Straight, but by then Vettel was at work extending his leading margin.
By the time the field took 10 to go, Vettel had moved the needle out to five seconds and when he crossed under the checkered flag, the margin of victory was an impressive 11.061 seconds.
“We did everything we could,” said Hamilton. “I did everything I could in the race. I think we ultimately performed quite well this weekend, but he drove past me like I wasn’t even there on the straight. We just have to keep pushing as hard as we can to catch back up.”
Verstappen completed the podium for Red Bull, followed by Valtteri Bottas, who drove the second Mercedes from 17th to fourth after having to start at the rear of the field due to grid penalties for an engine change.
Perez and Ocon both made impressive drives to come home fifth and sixth in the first race weekend since the ownership change at Force India, with the Haas duo of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, Toro Rosso Honda’s Pierre Gasly and Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson completing the top 10.
The finish:
Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon, Romain Grosjean, Kevin Magnussen, Pierre Gasly, Marcus Ericsson, Carlos Sainz, Sergey Sirotkin, Lance Stroll, Brendon Hartley, Stoffel Vandoorne, Daniel Ricciardo, Kimi Raikkonen, Charles Leclerc, Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg.
