Belgian Grand Prix 2018
Lewis Hamilton knew Ferrari are far superior on the straights, and he was proven right as the Scuderia’s Sebastian Vettel overtook him in the opening lap—right on the long Kemmel Straight—to take the lead and cruise to victory in the Belgian Grand Prix 2018.
Despite Hamilton cutting the lead to just less than two seconds midway through the race, Vettel’s speed and pace were just too much for the Mercedes star who saw his advantage in the Formula One driver standings down by seven points.
While the race was pretty straightforward up front, a crash in the first turn of Lap 1 proved to be a huge moment that, in hindsight, was decisive in the outcome of the contest.
Highlights of the game
It could have been a repeat of last year’s Belgium win for Hamilton. After taking the pole position in the 2017 race, the Briton held off Vettel on a circuit that unmistakably favours Ferrari cars.
However, Vettel—perhaps learning from his mistakes last year—didn’t allow that to happen and used their straight-line speed advantage to attack right from the start.
There was chaos in the opening exchanges of the race after Nico Hulkenberg mistimed his brake at turn one at La Source. As a result, the Renault driver crashed onto McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, who was then sent airborne due to the clash.
Sauber’s Charles Leclerc was also forced to retire after Alonso’s McLaren flew over his car in the sequence of the incident.
Fortunately for Hamilton and Vettel, they were well clear of the chaos that ensued in the hairpin corner. Nonetheless, sensing that a Safety Car would be deployed soon due to the crash, Vettel wasted no time and immediately showed his intention to overtake instead of waiting for the perfect chance.
The move paid off big time for the German ace as he successfully slipstreamed Hamilton on the Kemmel Straight and fended him off completely going through the Les Combes corner, just in time before the Safety Car.
It was all Vettel right there and then, building a 2.2-second advantage after the restart on Lap 3. Hamilton took a pit stop on Lap 21, and Vettel immediately followed and pitted as well.
The Ferrari star came out ahead but saw his lead cut to 1.5 seconds. Luckily for him, Hamilton struggled to catch him up, with Max Verstappen—who started seventh from the grid—running second and affecting the Brit’s chase.
Hamilton passed Verstappen on the Kemmel Straight on Lap 23, but he was not close enough to mount a significant challenge for the front seat.
“I had a great start, Lewis pushed me quite far to the left, but I knew I would have my chance at the top of the hill,” Vettel said after the race via Express. “Timing is crucial and I managed that perfectly, I thought.”
“I had a good restart after the Safety Car and after that it was a very smooth race. It was a great weekend.”
Hamilton held on to finish second, while Verstappen ended up third. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, on the other hand, was successful in his damage control as he finished fourth from 17th.
Force India would be happy with the Belgian Grand Prix 2018 results as well, especially with their duo of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon claiming fifth and sixth respectively.
Key statistics
Vettel finished with an 11-second lead over second-placer Hamilton, and that tells the story of how one-sided the race was despite the Belgian Grand Prix 2018 betting odds pointing to a tight affair.
It should be noted though that Hamilton was way ahead of third-placed Verstappen, finishing in front of the Dutchman by roughly 20 seconds.
On the other hand, Vettel is now the third-winningest driver in Formula One history with his 52nd victory. He is only behind Michael Schumacher and current pole-sitter Hamilton.
The win also cuts Hamilton’s lead in the driver standings to just 17 points. Nonetheless, with Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen failing to finish, the Silver Arrows moved 15-points clear of the Prancing Horse in the constructors’ championship.
What’s next?
Next up is the Italian Grand Prix in a week’s time. And what better way for Ferrari to continue their ascension than a win at home, at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza where it all started for them?
While odds at SBOBET favour them to continue their winning ways in Italy, the Scuderia will certainly be cautious of Mercedes and Co. After all, it was in the same circuit where Hamilton took the drivers lead from Vettel en route to winning the 2017 F1 championship.
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