Rosberg heats up Spa after avoiding chaos

Aussie driver Daniel Ricciardo has been beaten to the Belgian Grand Prix Formula One win by Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, who steered clear of the chaos unfolding behind him to cruise to a mostly unchallenged win.

Rosberg’s Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, the world championship leader, finished third from the back row of the grid, behind Red Bull’s Ricciardo at Spa-Francorchamps.

Rosberg started on pole and kept the lead after his main rivals, fellow front-row starter Max Verstappen and the Ferrari pair of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, collided at the first corner.

That allowed Rosberg to run away at the front and he crossed the line 14.1 seconds ahead of Ricciardo.

The race was briefly halted with nine of the 44 laps completed after a massive crash for Kevin Magnussen, who lost control of his Renault as he crested the fearsome Eau Rouge.

The Dane, who was taken to hospital for routine checks after suffering a cut to his left ankle, slammed violently into the barriers, prompting officials to first deploy the safety car and then the red flag as marshals worked to repair the damage.

“In general, yes, I had everything under control,” Rosberg said.

“I just had an awesome car and Lewis wasn’t there to battle it out, which made it a less difficult weekend.”

The win was the 20th of the Rosberg’s career and sixth of the season.

The Briton, winner of six of the last seven races leading up to the Belgian round, still leads the championship but by a narrower nine-point margin with eight of a record 21 races still to run.