Race report
Formula 1
Belgian GP: Vettel passes Hamilton to take victory
Sebastian Vettel claimed a dominant victory in the Belgian Grand Prix as a dramatic first-corner crash provided the major talking point on Formula 1's return from its summer break.
Scott Mitchell
Edited: Aug 27, 2018, 7:55 AM
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Vettel drafted title rival and pole-man Lewis Hamilton on the Kemmel Straight on the opening lap, passing his rival as the Racing Point Force Indias of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez almost made it four-abreast heading towards Les Combes.
Ocon backed out having pulled almost level with Vettel, allowing the German to hold the lead from Hamilton as Perez swept around the outside of Ocon into third.
That happened just before the race was neutralised following a massive first-corner crash in which Fernando Alonso was pitched airborne over Charles Leclerc.
Nico Hulkenberg locked both front wheels on his Renault and slammed into the rear of Alonso, who was launched into the back of – and then over –Leclerc, hitting the Sauber's halo device on the way down.
All three cars were eliminated on the spot, and the drivers emerged under their own steam.
Daniel Ricciardo's rear wing was broken by the flying Alonso, contributing to the Red Bull running wide through La Source and inflicting a right-rear puncture on Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari.
Ricciardo and Raikkonen pitted for repairs before rejoining, although they did not complete the race – Raikkonen stopped a few laps later while Ricciardo, who fell two laps down as Red Bull worked on his car, returned to the garage with 13 laps to go.
Racing resumed after four laps, with Hamilton half-attacking Vettel into the final chicane at the restart but falling into line with a small lock-up.
Vettel quickly built a three-second lead that he maintained until Mercedes brought Hamilton in on lap 21, with Vettel following suit one lap later at exactly the halfway mark.
Hamilton's rapid out-lap threatened to put him in position to attack Vettel but he caught the Red Bull of Max Verstappen at the end of the lap, which meant Vettel emerged out of the DRS zone.
The Ferrari quickly re-established its healthy advantage, as Hamilton drifted back and eventually finished more than 10 seconds behind as Vettel cut his championship lead to 17 points.
Verstappen scored a lonely third place after getting ahead of the Racing Point Force Indias early on, drafting Ocon on the run to Les Combes three laps after the restart and pulling the same move on Perez a few laps later.
Verstappen ended up half a minute behind the winner and roughly the same amount clear of Valtteri Bottas, who claimed fourth in the closing stages.
The Mercedes driver started at the back after exceeding his engine limit for the season by taking the manufacturer's upgraded engine, but climbed steadily up the order and passed Perez with just a few laps to go.
That demoted the 'new' Force India team to fifth and sixth on its debut, as its 18-point haul immediately put the entry ahead of Williams and just one point behind Sauber, which only stays ahead because of Marcus Ericsson's 10th-place finish.
Haas duo Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen enjoyed a quietly effective grand prix to finish seventh and eighth, which moved them to just six points behind Renault in the fight for fourth in the constructors' championship.
Carlos Sainz's 11th meant the French manufacturer failed to score for only the second time this year.
Newly-confirmed 2019 Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly bagged two points for Toro Rosso and Honda in ninth place, with Ericsson completing the top 10.
Cla Driver Chassis Engine Time Gap 1 
Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari 2 
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Mercedes 11.061 3 
Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG 31.372 4 
Valtteri Bottas Mercedes Mercedes 1'03.605 5 
Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes 1'11.023 6 
Esteban Ocon Force India Mercedes 1'19.520 7 
Romain Grosjean Haas Ferrari 1'25.953 8 
Kevin Magnussen Haas Ferrari 1'27.639 9 
Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso Honda 1'45.892 10 
Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari 1 lap 11 
Carlos Sainz Jr. Renault Renault 1 lap 12 
Sergey Sirotkin Williams Mercedes 1 lap 13 
Lance Stroll Williams Mercedes 1 lap 14 
Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso Honda 1 lap 15 
Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren Renault 1 lap 16 
Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG 17 
Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari 18 
Charles Leclerc Sauber Ferrari 19 
Fernando Alonso McLaren Renault 20 
Nico Hulkenberg Renault Renault
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