Belgium GP: Nico Rosberg wins incident-packed race, Lewis Hamilton roars from 21st to third
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Updated 28/08/2016 at 14:56 GMT
Nico Rosberg won an incident-paced Belgium Grand Prix, but was unable to usurp Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ championship as his Mercedes team-mate made a mockery of a 55-place penalty to finish third.
Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's German driver Nico Rosberg (C) celebrates winning next to second placed Red Bull Racing's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo and third placed Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's British driver Lewis Hamilton
Image credit: AFP
Hamilton was handed the huge – and partly unenforceable – penalty after changing too many engine parts in the build-up, demoting him to the back row of the grid. However, the three-time world champion scythed through the pack and now holds a nine-point lead with eight races remaining.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo split the Mercedes to take second in an exhilarating race, which was briefly red-flagged on lap 10 after a huge crash by Renault’s Kevin Magnussen destroyed a tyre barrier.
Magnussen was taken to hospital with an ankle injury following the 180mph smash at Eau Rouge.
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Kevin Magnussen
Image credit: Eurosport
The opening lap set the scene for a chaotic race, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and the two Ferraris involved in a three-way collision in the first corner.
Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz Jr then suffered a blow-out – with his attempts to nurse his car back to the pits leading to a spin and, somehow, his rear spoiler rotating through 90 degrees – before Magnussen’s scary crash on lap six.
Hamilton was fifth when the race resumed, and the Brit soon made his way into a provisional podium spot.
The race petered out slightly in the closing stages as Rosberg closed out victory and Hamilton completed his damage limitation mission.
"I really can’t believe that we came up so fast," Hamilton said. "I woke up this morning knowing how difficult it would be on these tyres, lots of blistering, but you can never predict what is going to happen in the race.
"That’s the great thing about motor racing, since I was eight years old every race every Sunday has been different. Your car is positioned in a different way, your start is a bit different, something happens up front. In previous races there were no incidents and today there was.
"Today was really about trying to make sure you have the right approach - not too aggressive and not too easy - and I think today collectively as a team we had the right balance. This is the best result I could have hoped for."
Belgium Grand Prix results
1. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 1:44:51.058
2. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Red Bull - TAG Heuer +00:14.113
3. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 00:27.634
4. Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Force India - Mercedes 00:35.907
5. Sergio Perez (Mexico) Force India - Mercedes 00:40.660
6. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Ferrari 00:45.394
7. Fernando Alonso (Spain) McLaren 00:59.445
8. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Williams-Mercedes 01:00.151
9. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 01:01.109
10. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Williams-Mercedes 01:05.873
11. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull - TAG Heuer 01:11.138
12. Esteban Gutierrez (Mexico) Haas - Ferrari 01:13.877
13. Romain Grosjean (France) Haas - Ferrari 01:16.474
14. Daniil Kvyat (Russia) Toro Rosso - Ferrari 01:27.097
15. Jolyon Palmer (Britain) Renault 01:33.165
16. Esteban Ocon (France) Manor - Mercedes 1 lap
17. Felipe Nasr (Brazil) Sauber - Ferrari 1 lap
R. Kevin Magnussen (Denmark) Renault
R. Marcus Ericsson (Sweden) Sauber - Ferrari
R. Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren
R. Carlos Sainz Jr (Spain) Toro Rosso - Ferrari
R. Pascal Wehrlein (Germany) Manor - Mercedes
(R = retired)
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