Lewis Hamilton won the Belgian Grand Prix after a tense race long battle with championship rival Sebastian Vettel for his fifth win of the 2017 season.
The Mercedes driver reduced his points deficit to Vettel to just seven points, with Vettel unable to take advantage of an extra set of the ultra soft tyre at the end of the race. A penalty for Kimi Raikkonen, and an off track excursion for Valtteri Bottas saw Ricciardo’s Red Bull elevated to the podium.
Hamilton led into the first corner, but Vettel got the slipstream up to the hill which he couldn’t utilise around the outside. The order remained the same at the front of the field with Hamilton leading from Vettel, Bottas and Raikkonen.
Further back the Force India drivers touched wheels into Eau Rouge, Esteban Ocon trapped between Sergio Perez and the wall, but still gained the advantage from his team-mate. Alonso had made his way up to seventh, which included a three way battle with Nico Hulkenberg and Ocon into Les Combes on Lap 2. Leading that group, Alonso was repaid the favour the next time round by Hulkenberg and later Ocon, slowly slipping down the order.
Max Verstappen slowed on Lap 8, stopping on the Kemmel Straight after losing power crossing the line. Another mechanical retirement for the Dutchman.
Pitstops started on Lap 9, with a number of drivers outside the points making their first stops. Ocon. Romain Grosjean and Fernando Alonso pitted a lap later coving the early pitting Palmer. Hamilton pitted from the lead on Lap 12, stopping a possible undercut from Ferrari, taking a set of the soft compound tyres.
Bottas pitted on Lap 14, while both Ferrari drivers remained on the circuit. Vettel leading from Raikkonen, who had been put under investigation by the stewards for failing to slow under double yellow flags.
Vettel pitted from the lead on Lap 15, also on a set of the soft tyres with Hamilton being held up momentarily by a yet to stop Raikkonen. The Finn would stop a lap later, which would bring him out just ahead of Ricciardo.
Despite getting out ahead of the Red Bull, the stewards gave Raikkonen a 10-second stop-go penalty. Serving his penalty shortly afterwards, Raikkonen fell to seventh behind Ocon in the fierce battle in the bottom half of the top ten. After being reported by Grosjean, Perez picked up a five-second time penalty for cutting the track.
On Lap 20 Carlos Sainz made his only stop in the Toro Rosso, switching to a set of the soft compound tyres to see him to the end of the race. It brought him out in 15th, just head of team-mate Daniil Kvyat.
At the front of the field at half distance, Hamilton was leading Vettel by nearly two seconds from Bottas a further six seconds down the road. By virtue of Raikkonen’s penalty, Ricciardo was in a lonely fourth.
Perez served his five-second penalty on Lap 27, with Alonso retiring the McLaren on the same lap. Ocon stopped for the second time shortly afterwards, and came out alongside his team-mate, the Mexican getting the better of the pair. Ocon wasn’t happy and hit the right rear of Perez down the hill to Eau Rouge, giving the Mexican a puncture and a broken front wing on Ocon’s car. Despite the damage, both cars continued.
The Force India clash brought out the safety car with debris on the circuit. Raikkonen pitted first, with Hulkenberg following. The leaders were on the other side of the circuit as the safety car was called with Hamilton, Vettel, Bottas and Ricciardo all pitting. Hamilton went with another set of the soft tyres, Vettel on the ultra soft and Bottas the soft.
The safety car came in at the end of Lap 33, with Vettel close to Hamilton through Eau Rouge but the Ferrari couldn’t make a move into Les Combes. Bottas went wide at Les Combes and dropped behind Ricciardo and Raikkonen. After running wide at the final corner on the restart, Magnussen fell to the back of the field and pitted for a third time.
Gaps appeared quickly after the restart, with Hamilton and Vettel trading faster sectors keeping the German just outside the DRS range. Which is how the race finished, unable to make an overtaking move, leaving Hamilton to take a crucial victory in the championship fight.
