The first formula-1 race after the summer break, will be back to a duel between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. The German
Championship leader tried in the Spa, all of it, but his Mercedes rival is not going to stop.
Lewis Hamilton has turned out to be 200. Race in formula 1 with victory in Spa sweetens and the residue in the championship battle with Sebastian Vettel again halved. A day after signing a new three-year contract at Ferrari, the German championship leader on Sunday in the Ardennes had to settle for after a tight duel with second place, behind the Mercedes Star.
“This was a very intense race,” said Vettel: “I’ve waited for a mistake by Lewis, but he has not committed.” Hamilton was delighted with his “strong weekend. Sebastian gave me a great fight, but I said that I deliver. And that’s what I did.”
Third in the Grand Prix of Belgium, the Australian Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull, which benefited in the final phase of a Safety Car and Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen and the world Cup, the third-placed Valtteri Bottas in the second silver arrow behind her. Nico Hülkenberg returned as a strong Sixth in the Renault from the summer break.
Vettel with just seven points ahead
In the world championship standings, Vettel after the twelfth of the 20 season, only seven points ahead of Hamilton, who drove for the fifth Time this year, being the first to finish the race. According to the Hungary-success of Vettel, Hamilton countered again in the title race, and could play next week in Monza with another win and the championship lead. In this season it managed to, however, is not a driver to win two Grand Prix in a row.
Red Bulls Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo at the race in Spa-Francorchamps
In his anniversary race, Hamilton was 68. Times started from the Pole Position. So he set the record of Michael Schumacher, who had won at the same place 25 years ago, his first formula 1 race. Son Mick was shortly before the Grand Prix to the memory of the debut victory of his father, a lap of honour in the world championship for Benetton 1994 hazards. The family Schumacher had Hamilton on Saturday luck wish to his record-setting Pole forward.
Bitter race for Verstappen
These emotional thrust of the Mercedes Star is used at the Start and claimed first place against the attacking Vettel, who was Second left. Behind Bottas held in the second silver arrow, the third of his Finnish countryman Raikkonen in the Ferrari, first of all in chess.
Again early in the working day for Clean-Pilot Pascal Wehrlein and Max sent to technical defects, however, fall. The low countries, for the thousands of his Fans, the trip to the neighbouring country had started to roll out in the eighth round with a breakdown of his Red Bull. It was his sixth failure in the twelfth race of the season. “I just can’t believe it,” said the 9-Year-old via pit radio.
Duel of the strategies between Mercedes and Ferrari
Better it went for Vettel, who could follow Hamilton closely. Mercedes had dominated in the past few years, especially on fast tracks such as Spa clear, seems to be the Ferrari to have this weakness and is now almost stopped. “Our speed was very good, we can look forward to Monza,” said Vettel after the unexpectedly strong showing on the high speed track of Spa. This should give the Scuderia also hope for the home race at Monza next Sunday, as the Royal Park is also a high-speed course.
Valtteri Bottas was at the end of only the Fifth.
So it was between the Mercedes and Ferrari to a duel of strategies. Hamilton came in the 13. Round for a tyre change, Bottas a lap later. Ferrari let Vettel and two rounds of Raikkonen’s turn more. But because the Mercedes Duo went on a fresh tires, strong periods, was changed by the stops, not the ranking.
Raikkonen receives a Ten second penalty
Shortly after that, but had to Raikkonen forced again to the Garage. Because the four-time Spa winner had to respect the yellow warning Flags, miss, he received a Ten seconds penalty and fell back.
In a long low-tension race, a collision of the two Force India driver caused then but still a thrill. The Safety Car came, the field came in for new tires at the pit.
Ferrari gave Vettel the supposedly fastest compound tyres, while Mercedes put Hamilton on the more consistent Tyres. Although Vettel attacked immediately after the restart, but his British rival, stood and moved.
sid/dpa (al, tk)
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