Nico today took his 20th career victory - his first at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and sixth of the 2016 season so far. Lewis produced a fantastic comeback drive to make the podium after starting from the back row of the grid. Lewis (232) leads the Drivers' Championship by nine points from Nico (223) in P2.
Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: A fantastic result this afternoon for the whole team after what proved a pretty tough weekend for us. Nico had it all under control today from the moment the lights went out. It was a perfect drive, with great pace on each of the tyres he used and he just steadily built the gap to Ricciardo behind him when he needed to. He didn't put a foot wrong and delivered everything possible. On the other side, I'm delighted for Lewis climbing back up to P3 after starting from the back. Sure, we benefitted from the chaos at Turn 1 and the decision of some people to pit under the Safety Car before the red flag came out. But we had decided to run an aggressive three-stop strategy with him so that he could attack the other cars and move forward today and we stuck to our guns after the red flag. Doing something different to Ricciardo was the only possible way to beat him - and that was a long shot anyway. But Lewis drove a squeaky clean race and really deserved the podium finish - at one point in the final stint, we thought maybe we could chase Ricciardo down. But then even the medium tyre started to blister from Lewis and we played it safe from there. Most of all, I want to say congratulations to the whole team. To have prepared the engine penalty strategy for this weekend, to get everything ready and to deliver it perfectly at the track with no mistakes at all really shows that we are working in a great way. Our mechanics were faultless all the way through this demanding challenge and I'm really proud of what they achieved. Likewise, the engineering team worked their way from a pretty tricky situation on Friday to delivering the kind of performance we are used to seeing this afternoon. A super impressive job all round and a great way for us to come back to work after the summer break.
Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical): We knew coming into today that it was going to be a tough race. Not just because we were starting from the back, but because tyre endurance on all three compounds was very low and we didn't feel we had a great performance margin to several of our competitors. As it turned out, a dramatic start to the race ruled several of the main contenders out of the running straight away. Meanwhile, Nico immediately showed good pace from the start and, with all the incidents ahead of him, Lewis made good progress. We lucked in with the Safety Car because many teams stopped and lost position, while we deliberately chose to stay out on a two stop plan. We then lucked in again with the red flag, which effectively created a fresh race and sealed our positions in first and fifth. Going into that with two sets of the medium compound available for Nico, we had a safe two stints to the flag. With Lewis, we chose a three stint strategy as we knew he had to push to improve on his fifth place and he only had one sets of mediums available having started on that compound. We're delighted to get two cars on the podium this weekend, as it didn't look like it would be an easy task earlier in the weekend. Nico drove superbly to manage the tyres in difficult conditions and take a dominant win. And, regardless of the circumstances, it was a really great drive from Lewis to come from 21st to third. We leave Belgium thoroughly satisfied and with a tantalising battle in store with our drivers separated by such a narrow margin.
Maurizio Arrivabene: It's such a pity. Today we probably had the pace for finishing the Grand Prix with both drivers on the podium. Unfortunately, the accident at the first corner ruined our race. The positives we can take is that, despite extensive damage, our car proved fast and resilient throughout. And this bodes well for our home Grand Prix next week at Monza. Also, the team behaved strongly and was united both on track and back at Maranello. So, starting from tomorrow, we'll start preparing the Italian Grand Prix.
Valtteri Bottas finished 8th and Felipe Massa 10th in the Belgian Grand Prix. Valtteri remains seventh in the Drivers' Championship with 62 points, whereas Felipe is now tenth with 39 points. The team moves to fifth in the Constructors' Championship, two points adrift of Force India.
Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: It was a disappointing race to come out with so few points. The key point of the race for us was the safety car when Magnusson had the huge accident and damaged the barrier. We thought it would be a red flag and so planned our strategy around that, however the red flag didn't come out very quickly, and so we had to pit Valtteri. The red flag did finally come out, as predicted, however by this point it had ruined our race. From then on our afternoon was set as we just didn't have the pace to move further forward. We will now go to Monza and try harder.
Christian Horner, Team Principal: "An impressive performance by Daniel today; a great disciplined drive, looking after his tyres and making an effective two-stop strategy work. To finish second, at the type of venue that we weren't expecting to be our strongest, is an amazing result. He picked up a little bit of damage after the first corner but we were able to repair that in the break (during a red flag), and he drove a strong race thereafter. Max's race was compromised after turn one. After an average start he got inside of Kimi into that turn but unfortunately he was squeezed from the outside by Sebastian and three into one quite simply doesn't go. The resulting damage significantly compromised the aerodynamics on the underside of the car costing him about a second and half per lap. He made a strong recovery to finish unfortunately just outside the points, It's clearly not the result he was looking for in front of such an enormous crowd that came out to support him all weekend but hopefully a lot more positive races to come. For the team to be coming away from Spa still second in the Constructors' Championship, and having extended our lead over Ferrari, is more than we could have envisaged."
Sahara Force India scored 22 points in today's Belgian Grand Prix as Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez raced to fourth and fifth places, taking the team up to fourth place in the championship.
Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal: "We can rightly be proud of a great team result - the first time we've put both cars in the top five since Bahrain 2014. It was a fantastic weekend, one that highlights once more the special relationship we have with Spa-Francorchamps. Everyone in the team did a great job and we can now celebrate a very strong race. We can even be a bit disappointed, too, because without the Safety Car and red flag, Nico could well have been on the podium, but considering how the race turned out, we feel pretty content with the result. We are now fourth in the championship, having scored 89 points since Monaco, but we won't let our guard down. There is still a long way to go and the battle in the midfield is just going to get closer. We will continue to work hard and hopefully bring home more special results between now and the end of the season."
Renault Sport Formula One Team unfortunately could not capitalise on its best-ever qualifying performance in today's Belgian Grand Prix. Kevin Magnussen had lined up twelfth, just in front of Jolyon Palmer for the 44-lap race. After a strong start, Jolyon was running seventh and Kevin eighth, but a heavy crash for Kevin on lap five led to his premature retirement from the race. Jolyon held station after the resultant red flag, but suffered tyre degradation during the race and finished in fifteenth overall.
Jolyon had a very strong start and moved from thirteenth to seventh by lap five. When the safety car was deployed he came to the pits for a first stop and after a subsequent red flag was caught between the Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat and Haas of Romain Grosjean. The trio remained closely matched throughout the race, although were passed by the Ferraris and Williams.
Jolyon made three pit stops as he suffered with tyre degradation and rising temperatures. After starting on soft tyres, he pitted on lap six for soft tyres, then lap 22 to change to medium and finally lap 34 to switch to supersoft.
Kevin made the most of a chaotic start and was running behind his team-mate in eighth. However he ran over a kerb at the exit of Eau Rouge and went heavily into the barriers. He exited the car unaided but was taken to the medical centre as a precaution. Initial checks revealed a cut to his left ankle and he was taken to a nearby hospital for further routine assessments. Kevin was fully conscious and responsive throughout.
Fred Vasseur, Team Principal: "Our first concern today was with Kevin after his big accident in Eau Rouge. He was able to leave the car unaided and was taken to the medical centre as a precaution. He was responsive throughout but had a cut on his ankle that required some further checks so was taken to hospital in Verviers. Jolyon had a very good start and was racing very hard, but had some problems with tyre degradation that dropped him back down the order. It's a shame as we had had the strongest qualifying of the year and had shown that we had taken some steps forward with the car yet again. I hope we can keep the stronger form going in Monza and are able to fully capitalise in the race."
Franz Tost (Team Principal): "Even before arriving here we knew that Spa - and also Monza - would be a difficult race for us, because we have the disadvantage of running last year's engine. This was actually the case in the end and it also hurt our qualifying pace yesterday, as we ended up P15 and P19. Today Carlos did a fantastic start and gained seven positions during the first lap, racing in P7. Unfortunately, he had a tyre failure. I assume that the tyre was destroyed by some debris from the collision in the first corner and therefore Carlos had to retire. Daniil performed a very good race. Strategy wise, the team also did everything correctly, but in the end our lap times were simply too slow to score some points. We will now analyse everything and hopefully we will come back stronger, especially in Singapore. Before that, let's focus on another tough race for us, the team's home Grand Prix in Monza next week."
For the Sauber F1 Team it was a disappointing start to the second half of the season. Felipe Nasr finished the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps in P17. Nasr had a good start and was temporarily running in P11, but the Brazilian had to pit on the first lap due to a rear left tyre puncture. Also the floor, as well as the diffusor, on his Sauber C35-Ferrari was damaged, which compromised his lap times. Marcus Ericsson had to start the race from the pit lane due to adjustments to the cooling system. He had to retire after lap two because of gearbox issues. Next weekend, the Italian Grand Prix will take place in Monza.
Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal: "A disappointing result, after we could see in the practice sessions that the aerodynamic characteristics of the car had generally improved. This weekend was compromised by several incidents with the power unit. Also the race was influenced by factors which did not lie in our hands - the gearbox issues on Marcus' car, as well as the debris which caused a puncture and damages to Felipe's car. Nevertheless, Felipe put in a good performance driving-wise as well as with regards to the tyre management."
Eric Boullier, Racing Director: "Having suffered problem after problem yesterday and the day before, Fernando enjoyed a trouble-free run today, forcing his way from the back of the grid to a fine seventh place by the end of a truly dramatic Belgian Grand Prix.
"By contrast, very soon after the start, Jenson's car was hit by another car, through no fault of Jenson's, and we judged the damage it had sustained too serious to feel able to authorise him to continue. It was massively frustrating for him and for us, because he'd shown very impressive pace here so far this weekend.
"That being the case, we're encouraged by our car performance here, overall, and we're optimistic of building on this weekend's decent form when we arrive in Italy in a few days' time.
"Granted, Monza is the fastest racetrack on the Formula 1 calendar - and as such our car should in theory be unsuited to its very long straights - but we'll do our very best to score points there all the same. Talking of points, the half-dozen that Fernando scored today have lifted us ahead of Toro Rosso in the constructors' world championship table; as a result we're now in sixth place. That's not great, but it shows that things are going in the right direction for us.
"Last but not least, on behalf of all at McLaren-Honda, I want to say ‘get well soon' to our ex-driver and old mate Kev [Magnussen] after his massive shunt at Eau Rouge today."
Yusuke Hasegawa, Honda R&D Co Ltd Head of F1 Project & Executive Chief Engineer: "Fernando drove a brilliant race today, and the team did a phenomenal job to get him from the very back of the grid to finish P7 - and at Spa too! This is another confirmation that our power unit has indeed taken a step forward, and I'm happy and thankful to everyone for all their hard work.
"Jenson was unlucky to retire at the very start of the race, when he was unexpectedly hit from behind. He had a strong start to the weekend, and it was a great shame that he couldn't capitalise on his very good P9 starting position.
"Of course, we're still hungry and not completely satisfied by these results, but after each race we go home encouraged by our progress and this one is no different.
"Next up is Monza, which is probably the toughest circuit of the year for us, but we'll prepare as usual to give our all."
Esteban is delighted, after taking his first chequered flag in 16th place. He had a flawless weekend and we're thrilled for him! But at the same time, we're gutted for Pascal, for whom an opening lap incident denied him a shot at a really great race today.
Dave Ryan, Racing Director: "A mixed result today. On the one hand, a great debut by Esteban, who didn't put a foot wrong all weekend. He finished his first race in 16th place and I'm sure it will be an upward trajectory for him from here. I'm really looking forward to seeing how he gets on in Monza.
"For Pascal, a real disappointment that he had to retire at the end of the first lap, but huge positives for him to take away from this race. His performance all weekend has been outstanding and, again, really excited to see how he takes this forward to Monza.
"From a team perspective, generally it's been a good event for us, but we have had a few hiccups, which we need to sort out before Monza. That will be our focus over the next few days."
The Belgian Grand Prix Sunday at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps began well for Haas F1 Team, but a red-flag period scuttled the team's strategy, leaving drivers Esteban Gutierrez and Romain Grosjean 12th and 13th, respectively.
Grosjean got a great jump in the 44-lap race around the 7.004-kilometer (4.352-mile), 19-turn circuit. After starting 11th he avoided the chaos of the first turn of the opening lap by diving low through La Source to climb to fifth. He was passed by Force India's Sergio Perez on lap four but quickly settled into sixth place. Gutierrez also took advantage of the lap-one contretemps, where four cars were eliminated outright, and advanced from 18th to ninth.
When the safety car was deployed on lap six for Kevin Magnussen's massive shunt at the top of Eau Rouge, Grosjean seized the opportunity to pit, swapping the Pirelli P Zero Yellow soft tires he started the race for a new set of Yellow softs. Gutierrez pitted a lap later, emulating the strategy of his teammate. Following the pit stops, Grosjean was 10th and Gutierrez was 13th, as a handful of drivers opted not to pit.
But as repair work on the wall where Magnussen hit became more involved, the red flag was displayed, and this circumstance compromised the team's strategy.
The red-flag stoppage allowed the drivers who didn't pit a free pit stop, as they were able to change tires on pit lane. This was incredibly advantageous for them, as no track position was lost. The positions they gained by staying out prior to the red flag were kept and the positions Grosjean and Gutierrez picked up on the racetrack were greatly marginalized.
Nonetheless, 34 laps remained once the red flag was lifted, which meant plenty of opportunity remained. Proving this point was Grosjean's lap-12 pass of Jolyon Palmer's Renault for ninth. And on lap 16, Gutierrez caught Palmer to pick up 12th. On the same lap, however, Scuderia Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel caught Grosjean to take ninth, and on lap 17, Williams' Felipe Massa took over 10th. This put Grosjean and Gutierrez 11th and 12th, respectively, at the start of lap 18.
As an energy-recovery system issue affected Grosjean's speed, Gutierrez was able to leapfrog his teammate for 11th on lap 18. While Gutierrez looked ahead to 10th-place Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso, Grosjean was forced to look in his mirrors and defend his position, notably against Scuderia Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who eventually passed Grosjean on the Kemmel Straight for 12th.
At the race's halfway mark, Gutierrez was 11th and Grosjean was 12th. Gutierrez pitted for a new set of Pirelli P Zero White medium tires on lap 22 and Grosjean followed on lap 23, also opting for White mediums.
With pit stops having cycled through by lap 26, Gutierrez was 13th and Grosjean was 15th.
Gutierrez caught Kvyat on lap 27 to grab 12th. Gutierrez and Grosjean each picked up a spot on lap 28 when Red Bull's Max Verstappen pitted, with Gutierrez climbing to 11th and Grosjean rising to 14th. But Verstappen's speed was impressive, and he took back 14th from Grosjean on lap 29. As Verstappen drove up through the field, others came back toward Grosjean. Palmer was one of them, allowing Grosjean to jettison him for 14th on lap 32. Kvyatt was next in the crosshairs, with Grosjean passing him for 13th on lap 37. Verstappen, meanwhile, continued his charge, passing Gutierrez for 11th, also on lap 37.
With seven laps remaining, Gutierrez and Grosjean were running 12th and 13th, respectively, with a five-second margin between them. As the laps wound down, Grosjean was able to cut into Gutierrez's advantage, but time ran out and the checkered flag waved, leaving the duo 12th and 13th.
Thirteen rounds into the 21-race Formula One schedule, Haas F1 Team remains eighth in the constructor standings with 28 points. However, seventh-place now belongs to Toro Rosso, as McLaren jumped ahead of them thanks to Fernando Alonso's seventh-place finish. The gap between Haas F1 Team and Toro Rosso is 17 points. Haas F1 Team kept its 22-point advantage over ninth-place Renault, as neither Magnussen nor Palmer finished in the points.
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg won the Belgian Grand Prix by a whopping 14.113 seconds over Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo. The victory tightened the championship point standings, as Rosberg was able to slice 10 points from the lead held by his teammate, Lewis Hamilton. The gap between the two is now just nine points. The victory was Rosberg's 20th in Formula One, his sixth of the season and his first at Spa.
Eight races remain on the 2016 Formula One schedule, with the next event coming in one week with the Italian Grand Prix at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.
Guenther Steiner: "A very interesting and exciting race for the fans. For us, it was a bit up and down. We got away very well, but then with the red-flag scenario, we were pushed back and couldn't get further to the front. In general, both drivers showed good speed. We had a small issue with Romain's car with the energy recovery system, which the team fixed within a few laps and in the end we finished 12th and 13th. We would've liked to get in the points, but that didn't work out. However, we showed we can do it if the circumstances are right. We still hope to get some more points this year and we look forward to Monza."
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg won an incident-packed Belgian Grand Prix from pole, which was characterised by a lengthy red flag period at the beginning of the race.
All three available compounds were seen at the start of the grand prix: medium, soft, and supersoft. Hamilton and Alonso started the race from the last row on the most durable medium compound, and took advantage of the chaos at the start to move into the top five by the time the race was red flagged. Tyre changes are allowed during a red flag period, effectively handing all the drivers a 'free' pit stop. This benefitted drivers who started on the supersoft tyres most, as the softest compound available was well into its opening stint when the red flag came out, in order to allow barrier repairs to be effected. Six drivers took advantage of the red flag to make a tyre change, including the top three finishers.
At the re-start, most drivers chose the soft compound, although race leader Rosberg was a notable exception on the medium. Rosberg completed his final stint on the medium to win with what was effectively a two-stop strategy: the same number of stops used by Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo in second.
Temperatures remained quite high on race day, albeit slightly cooler than they had been over the two preceding days, with 29 degrees centigrade ambient and 39 degrees track temperature at the start. This too affected tyre behaviour.
Paul Hembery: "It was an action-packed race where we saw a wide variety of strategies right from the start - with all three compounds seen on the starting grid - which were further influenced by the racing incidents and red flag period. Nonetheless, Nico Rosberg won with two tyre changes, as we had predicted, thanks to the medium compound proving to be especially effective in the unusually high track temperatures seen at Spa all weekend, which made tyre management particularly crucial. The top eight adopted tyre strategies that were all slightly different, including the impressive performances from Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, who raced their way up from the bottom of the grid using alternative strategies."
Truthometer: We thought that two stops would be the winning strategy, but the short safety car period followed by the red flag revised most predictions. Nonetheless, Rosberg won with two tyre changes as expected: he started on the soft tyre, changed to the medium under the red flag and then made his final stop for the medium again on lap 26.
