Rosberg wins in Belgium
Hamilton fights back to finish third in crash-hit race
NICO Rosberg rekindled his world championship ambitions with victory in yesterday’s chaotic crash-hit Belgian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton staged an astonishing fightback to finish third.
Rosberg’s delight was reduced by his Mercedes teammate Hamilton’s damage-limiting and thrilling drive to finish behind Daniel Ricciardo, second in a Red Bull, after starting from the back row of the grid.
“I would definitely have taken that before the race,” Hamilton said.
“I am so happy and proud of everyone. I was not expecting it and I had no idea what we were capable of, but I had a positive mental attitude today and it worked.”
Rosberg, 31, who started from his third successive pole position, led from start to finish in a race fractured by accidents and incidents to secure his first victory in Belgium and his sixth of the season.
Hamilton, who started 21st after being handed 60 grid position penalties for taking three new power-units through the weekend, remains ahead of Rosberg in the title race with 232 points to 223, a lead of nine.
“It’s been great to get the win today, but Lewis starting at the back made it easier for me,” Rosberg said. “He’ll be back at Monza, as usual, and it will be a great battle and another good weekend.”
German Nico Hulkenberg finished fourth ahead of his Force India teammate Sergio Perez, as the Silverstone-based team overhauled rivals Williams in the constructors’ championship.
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, of Ferrari, recovered from a first-corner collision with his own teammate Kimi Raikkonen to take sixth ahead of Fernando Alonso.
Valtteri Bottas was eighth for Williams ahead of Raikkonen and Brazilian Felipe Massa.
Hamilton’s podium finish from 21st on the grid was a record for the circuit on a day of serial incidents, accidents and collisions.
The race was red-flagged after nine laps in the worst incident when Dane Kevin Magnussen crashed heavily but limped away from his wrecked Renault car with only a damaged ankle.
Trouble started right from the outset, however, with Vettel and Ferrari teammate Raikkonen colliding on the first corner.
On lap two, Spaniard Carlos Sainz’s Toro Rosso suffered a spectacular right rear tyre explosion, which triggered a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) period.
Another, more alarming, accident brought out the Safety Car itself on lap nine – Magnussen losing control of his Renault as he exited Eau Rouge and smashed into the barriers at around 300km per hour on the high-speed rise to Raidillon.
As the debris settled, the severity of the damage to the barriers required repair and the red flag came out to halt the racing with, remarkably, back row starters Hamilton and Alonso – with a combined total of 120 grid-place penalties – in fifth and fourth respectively.
The pause allowed the teams to pit their cars for a rolling restart behind the Safety Car, Rosberg taking medium tyres and most others taking softs. – AFP
I had a positive mental attitude today and it worked