Formula One: does Vettel have the edge?
There was a time when Sebastian Vettel was simply “untouchable”, said Giles Richards in The Guardian. Between 2010 and 2013, he ruled over Formula One, winning four world championships on the trot. And, ominously for his rivals, his Belgian Grand Prix victory on Sunday was reminiscent of those triumphs. The Ferrari driver was “clinical and flawless”: he finished 11 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton, reducing Hamilton’s championship lead to 17 points. Vettel is an enormously talented driver, said Andrew Benson on BBC Sport online. But it was his car that made the difference. Although Hamilton had taken pole position, the Ferrari’s superior traction and “greater straight-line speed” allowed Vettel to “sweep into the lead” early on. Over the summer, both Ferrari and Mercedes – Hamilton’s team – upgraded their engines, but it’s clear that the Italians have “the fastest car in Formula One”.
The race also vindicated the sport’s decision to introduce the controversial “halo” to its cars, said Jonathan Mcevoy in the Daily Mail. A metal, wishbone-shaped frame above the cockpit, it is designed to protect drivers’ heads; weighing a mere one stone, it is capable of holding the weight of a double-decker bus. It has been compulsory since the start of the season – in the face of “fierce opposition” from traditionalists, who find it unacceptably ugly. And on Sunday, a halo “might just have saved the first Formula One driver’s life”, said Oliver Brown in The Daily Telegraph. In a “horrifying” crash at the very first corner, a shunt from Nico Hülkenberg sent Fernando Alonso flying into the air; on the way down, his Mclaren grazed the front of Charles Leclerc’s car. Remarkably, Leclerc emerged unscathed – thanks to his halo, which was “disfigured” by the Mclaren. On its first true test, the device “performed its function to perfection”.