Lewis Hamilton cruises to Belgian F1 GP win ahead of Valtteri Bottas
Lewis Hamilton sealed a commandin▨g victory i🅷n Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix as he led home a Mercedes 1-2.
The Briton led each of the 44 laps as he converted pole position into his 89th ca൩reer win at Spa-Francorchamཧps to further extend his lead in the 2020 world championship standings.
Hamilton fended off Bottas’ attack at the start and crucially mai🌌ntained his lead on the long run to Les Combes, before pulling clear of the field, eventually heading his teammate home by over eight seconds .
A fourth victor🎉y in Belgium has❀ moved Hamilton into a 47-point lead in the championship.
Behind Bottas came Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who claimed his sixth podium finish in♛ a row to continue his remarkable run of consistency at the start of the season.
The race was interrupted by a huge crash involving Antonio Giovinazz🔯i and George Russell on Lap 9 which brought out the Saꦆfety Car.
For the second year in a row, Giovinazzi lost control of his Alfa Ro🐲meo on his own exiting the Fagnes chicane and hit the barriers, shredding debris - including a loose wheel - across the track and into the path of the oncoming Russell.
Russell could do little to avoid hitting Giovinazzi’s errant wheel and was subsequently taken out, sending him into the barriers on the far side. Both drivers emerg꧟ed from the incident unscathed.
The Safety Car prompted the m🌼ajority of the field to pit for Hard tyres, as Mercedes doubl🐲e-stacked its drivers in order to maintain position over Verstappen.
Having aced the Safety Car restart and left teammate Bottas napping, Hamilton reported a loss of power in his Mercedes but was informed that it was just♉ energy management related and not a concern.
Aside from that b💙rief moment of worry, Hamilton was ultimately in a league of his own as he cruised to yet another commanding victory in F1, despite some late concerns over൲ the state of his tyres.
Behind the top three, Daniel Ricciardo claimed a brilliant fourth place to match Renault’s best result of the season which he achieved with the same finishing position as he managed at the British G✱rand Prix. The Australian also picked up the fastest l𒈔ap of the race on the final tour.
40 seconds off the lead came the second Renault of Esteban Ocon, who pulled off a last-lap overtake on Alex Albon’s Red Bull along the Kemmel Straight to take his best result o🦩f the season in fifth, ahead of Albon and McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Pierre Gasly turned in an exꦯcellent drive to hand AlphaTauri its fourth points finish of the season on his way to eighth place, ahead of the Racing Point du𓄧o of Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez who rounded out the top-10.
Daniil Kvyat beat the Alfa Romeo of Kimi Raikkonen to 11th, ahead of the struggling Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel andꦜ Charles Leclerc, who was one of only three drivers who did not pull off a one-stopper.
After a miserable qualifying, Ferrari’s woes conti🐬nued in the race as both cars found themselves squabbling wℱith the Italian outfit’s customer teams of Alfa Romeo and Haas throughout.
Leclerc finished les𝓡s than twoಌ seconds clear of Romain Grosjean, who in turn was a second clear of the sole-remaining Williams driven by Nicholas Latifi. The second Haas of Kevin Magnussen finished as the final classified driver in 17th.
Lewis regularly aꦦttends Grands Prix for mahbx.com around the world. Often reporting on the action from the gꦰround, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
