The winners and losers from F1’s Belgian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton marched to the 89th victory of his Formula 1 career with another resounding win in the Belgian Grand Prix.

The race will not go down as a classic by F1 fans as Mercedes once again dominated and a battle for the lead never really transpired, while Ferrari endured another shocker.

A number of drivers shone in what was an otherwise forgettable race, while others will be pleased this year’s event won’t be remembered in a hurry.

The Winners

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton was once again untouchable as he racked up his fourth win in Belgium and 89th career victory.

The Mercedes driver perfectly judged the start, aced the Safety Car restart to catch Valtteri Bottas napping, and managed tyre concerns towards the end of the race en route to his latest triumph.

Hamilton has now won five of the opening seven races of the 2020 season and has moved into a 47-point lead in the championship, as his record-equalling seventh world title looms ever closer.

Daniel Ricciardo and Renault

Daniel Ricciardo has been on a blinder this weekend, taking a fantastic fourth place finish in his ever-improving Renault, and matching the French manufacturer best result of the season in the process.

To further add to the Australian’s grin, he smoothly “sent it” and picked up the fastest lap of the race upon his final lap.

With teammate Esteban Ocon also improving on his way to his best result of the year in fifth, it was a superb weekend all round for Renault.

Pierre Gasly

In a weekend filled with emotions, Pierre Gasly channelled his pain and anguish into an incredible performance.

His move on Sergio Perez on the run to Eau Rouge was one to remember, as he put in a series of impressive passes on a charge through the field, running as high as fourth after the safety-car period.

The Frenchman’s stellar run to eighth place provided AlphaTauri with its fourth points finish of the season as he continued his impressive form.

The Losers

Ferrari

After being nowhere to be found on Friday, their struggles continued into Saturday in which Leclerc could only qualify 13th and Vettel in 14th, marking the first time this season the Italian squad has suffered a double Q2 elimination.

The race was also miserable, with Leclerc and Vettel finished in the reverse positions of their qualifying result, behind the Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo of Kimi Raikkonen, who was another winner at Spa.

With Monza and Mugello up next, Ferrari desperately need to find an answer soon, or face dropping further down the grid, and into more embarrassment back in Italy.

At least they won’t have to face their beloved Tifiso in Monza…

Valtteri Bottas

For the sixth consecutive race, Bottas lost ground on championship leader Hamilton. He now sits 50 points adrift after losing another seven points in Belgium.

He launched an attack at the start but after being swiftly blocked by Hamilton, he never proved a threat to his teammate.

At the start of 2020 the big question was whether he could take the title away from Hamilton but at the rate he is going, he will fortunate to make the title race last the entirety of the season.

Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz was ruled out of the Belgian GP before the race even started after suffering an exhaust failure on his McLaren F1 car.

Spa has not been a happy hunting ground for the Spaniard, who has faced four retirements in six races at the Belgian track.

It’s been a tough season for Sainz so far, who has faced car issues throughout the year, and after brief respite on home soil in Spain, his problems returned in Belgium.

TV images were fittingly timed to show a dismayed Sainz’s reaction to a Vettel lock-up, and one must wonder what is going through the Spaniard’s head prior to his move to the struggling team next year.

Winner and Loser

George Russell and Antonio Giovinazzi

Russell said he felt both “unlucky and lucky” following a scary crash involving Giovinazzi’s Alfa Romeo at Fagnes on Lap 10.

While taking evasive action from Giovinazzi’s out-of-control Alfa which had already hit the barriers and was spinning back onto the racing line, a loose wheel struck Russell’s front-right wheel, sending him into the wall to the left of the track.

Both drivers were out on the spot and while Russell’s race was ruined through no fault of his own, he admitted things “could have been much worse” had it not been for the Halo on his Williams F1 car.

For Giovinazzi, it marked the second time in two years he had crashed out on his own at Spa, on a weekend Ferrari juniors Robert Shwartzman and Mick Schumacher continued to shine in Formula 2.