Lewis Hamilton has won the Belgian Grand Prix and takes the lead at the top of the driver’s championship in an incredible race where as expected, weather conditions caused the main issue for the teams. Mark Webber finished 2nd after a race where numerous big name title contenders failed to score points.

The GP got off to a crazy start with Mark Webber falling back to 6th place when the anti-stall kicked in off the line and rain began to fall. Hamilton was promoted into the lead with Kubica 2nd and Button 3rd.

On lap two it was carnage at the Bus Stop Chicane as nearly all of the field ran wide on the slippery track. Rubens Barrichello spun, and collided with Fernando Alonso bringing out the safety car, as the Spaniard’s weekend went from bad to worse. Sadly Barrichello had to retire on his 300th Grand Prix, but Alonso managed to crawl back to the pits and continue.

Robert Kubica soon fell down to 4th in the tricky conditions as he ran wide and was passed by Jenson Button and then Sebastian Vettel as the race for 2nd place began to heat up, with the young German having the aero advantage over Button who had minor front wing damage to his MP4-25.

The track was evidently still damp on lap 17 when Vettel dropped his Red Bull under braking and smacked Button in the sidepod, wiping the Brit who was completely minding his own business out. Vettel managed to jump across into the pits and continued. However, he didn’t get away completely scot-free as he was given a drive-thru penalty for causing a collision.

Things got even worse for Vettel when he received a left-rear puncture after colliding with Liuzzi, meaning he had to crawl along the long Spa lap back to the pits as any hope he had of scoring points went out of the window.

With nine laps to go rain began to fall, and not wanting to jump to intermediate tyres too early, McLaren didn’t bring Lewis Hamilton in straight away and they had a scare when he ran wide onto the gravel! He managed to keep the wheels spinning and his run of fastest laps meant he had a big enough advantage to stay in the lead.

Unsurprisingly, Hamilton then came in on the next lap for intermediate tyres. Kubica in 2nd and Webber in 3rd followed suit, but disastrously for Renault’s Pole, he overshot his pit box letting Webber through into 2nd place in the dying laps.

With just six laps of the race remaining another championship contender went out of the race when Fernando Alonso lost it at Malmedy and struck the wall, leaving his F10 stuck in the middle of the road, forcing the second safety car of the race.

It was tense moments in the wet for McLaren as they waited to see if their man Lewis Hamilton could hold on until the chequered flag, but he could ahead of Mark Webber and Robert Kubica.

Felipe Massa took 4th after a quiet but consistent race in the Ferrari, with Adrian Sutil showing Force India’s speed at Spa with 5th. After a fascinating inter-team battle between Rosberg and Schumacher, it was the former who took 6th ahead of the latter in 7th. Kobayashi took 8th, Petrov 9th and Alguersuari 10th.

Q1

It took under two minutes into qualifying for the first action, as Renault’s Vitaly Petrov dropped his Renault R30 on a kerb at Rivage and struck the wall, causing a red flag and his session to be over.

Unbelievably the two Sauber’s followed suit in quick succession, with Kobayashi and then De La Rosa getting stuck in gravel traps on a damp and unpredictable track, where it was raining in some parts but not others.

In a crazy session, Trulli, Senna and Yamamoto were the other Q1 casualties as Kovalainen and Glock impressed to get through into Q2.

18. Trulli – Lotus – 2:01.491
19. Kobayashi – Sauber – 2:02.284
20. Senna – HRT – 2:03.612
21. Yamamoto – HRT – 2:03.941
22. de la Rosa – Sauber – 2:05.294
23. di Grassi – Virgin – 2:18.754
24. Petrov – Renault – no time

Q2

Amazingly after rain and grey skies over Spa in Q1, things changed drastically for Q2 as the sun came out!

It was a nightmare session for Mercedes, with Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg failing to make it through into the pole position shoot-out. Even worse, Schumacher will have a 10-place grid drop after his antics with Rubens Barrichello and a brick wall, and following a gearbox change, Rosberg will have a 5-place grid drop.

Both Williams cars squeezed through into Q3 with Barrichello 9th and Hulkenberg 10th. Alguersuari, Liuzzi, Buemi, Kovalainen and Glock were also eliminated as McLaren looked very comfortable at the top of the timesheets.

11. Schumacher – 1:47.874 (10-place grid penalty)
12. Rosberg – 1:47.885 (5-place grid penalty)
13. Alguersuari – 1:48.267
14. Liuzzi – 1:48.680
15. Buemi – 1:49.209
16. Kovalainen – 1:50.980
17. Glock – 1:52.049

Q3

With the good conditions overhead continuing, it was soft tyres which were the order of the session, as championship leader Mark Webber stormed to pole – some birthday present for the Aussie who was 34 yesterday!

Lewis Hamilton took 2nd ahead of Robert Kubica, with Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button taking 4th and 5th.

Felipe Massa and Rubens Barrichello were 6th and 7th in the latter’s 300th Grand Prix. Adrian Sutil and Nico Hulkenberg were 8th and 9th as Fernando Alonso could only manage 10th in a disappointing session for Ferrari’s Spaniard.

Every track test driver’s skill but nowhere can challenge the infamous Spa-Francorchamps. The plunge down to the La Source hairpin, up to the blind Eau Rouge crest without lifting is the stuff of legend, up the hill to Les Combes. Then, accelerate out of Stavelot flat through Blanchimont & end up to the Bus Stop chicane, through the Ardennes forest and in Formula 1 racing history. This is one race which you cannot afford to miss.

The original circuit was twice the length of today but since it was rebuilt in 1983 the current track still keeps all the characters and excitement of the classic old one, testing drivers to the very limits of their skills with flying fast corners, steep changes of elevation and blistering long straights which all add up to a fast and furious race.

Drivers love it because of the amazing track and great atmosphere. Spectators adore the circuit too; there’s never a dull moment. Another thing this race is famous for is rain, once it rained for 20 consecutive Grand Prix so keep an eye on the sky on Sunday.

Introduction by WasiF1

Keep an eye on…

Red Bull‘s RB6 is down on top speed in comparison to their rivals, preferring tight, slow, twisty circuits. The same can’t be said for their rivals though, especially McLaren. Could Spa’s fast corners and long straights be the undoing of the Austrian team? Ferrari‘s revised F10 is likely to be the major challenger this weekend.

Michael Schumacher won his first Grand Prix here and loves this circuit, can he create more history on Sunday? After a remarkable race here last year when Giancarlo Fisichella took pole and finished 2nd, Force India will be looking for a great race once more.

Renault will be running their F-duct for the first time this weekend. Rubens Barrichello will be looking for a good result in his 300th Grand Prix.

Virtual lap

Drivers

“Spa is quite different to all the other circuits we run at because, although we use lower downforce levels similar to Canada, this circuit has many more high-speed corners. That makes it tricky to balance the downforce level with getting good top speed, which you need because there are two very long sections at the start and end of the lap, where you spend a long time at full throttle. Often, this is a circuit that throws up some surprises, and suddenly cars that haven’t been quick all year can be good in Spa. From the team’s point of view, we will be running the f-duct for the first time this weekend, and we hope it will work straight away so that we have as much practice time as possible to extract the maximum performance from this system.” – Robert Kubica

Engines

“Engine performance makes a significantly heightened contribution to lap time at Spa. Downforce levels are typically in the low-medium range, reducing the impact of aerodynamics, although chassis responsiveness still plays a key role through the few slower-medium speed parts of the track.

“The Belgian Formula One Grand Prix was not held in 2006 when Cosworth was last involved in F1 as an engine supplier, so it has been five years since the sound of a Cosworth engine reverberated around the Spa Francorchamps track.

“More surprisingly, the last time a Cosworth V8 unit was raced at Spa was back in 1997 before the introduction of the V10 configuration engines that powered Formula One cars from 1998-2005.” – Cosworth

Tyres

(Hard and Soft)

“Spa Francorchamps is a circuit with many secrets. It is the longest circuit of the season, and there are many different characteristics to it. Tyres are put under big loads here, and the circuit is too punishing for the use of our super soft tyre. Eau Rouge and sector two are particularly punishing. Despite the high speeds we see, the requirements of a lap mean that relatively high downforce configurations are used on the cars, placing the tyres under even higher loads. The change from downhill to uphill through Eau Rouge puts the tyres under severe compression forces at high speed added to the downforce and inertia loads, so tyre pressures need to be carefully determined and monitored. The weather is often a factor, especially as you can see track temperatures ranging from 10C to 40C. Rain can come very quickly here because of the forest location, so this is another factor to consider. Spa seldom gives us a dull race, and I hope we will have an enjoyable final visit here.” – Bridgestone

Weather

In typical Belgian weather, rain is expected throughout the weekend. However, their will be sunny spells so as usual, it’s anyone’s guess as to what the weather will do when the cars are out on track, hopefully making for an exciting and unpredictable Grand Prix.

At this race last year…

Giancarlo Fisichella pulled an incredible pole position out of the bag for Force India, in what was his final race before he made the jump to Ferrari to replace an injured Felipe Massa.

Fisichella followed up his pole with 2nd place in the race in a Grand Prix won by Kimi Raikkonen from 6th on the grid. After colliding with Romain Grosjean, Jenson Button retired, meaning it was incredibly the only time he failed to score a point in his championship-winning campaign!

Race times

(All times BST)

Sat 28 Aug: Practice 3 1000-1100; Qualifying 1300

Sun 29 Aug: Race 1300

You can now make your predictions for the German Grand Prix in the box below. We advise you find out more about our predictions league and how it works before making your predictions for the first time. Check out the current standings, too!

Our predictions league is sponsored by Henri Lloyd, sponsors of Mercedes GP, who have some great team merchandise out, and are kindly supplying prizes for our Predictions League! Check their Mercedes GP merchandise, follow them on Twitter and join them on Facebook.

Congratulations to MPJ1994, SportTrades Adam and Jaled Larbi who were joint best predictors of the Hungarian Grand Prix, collecting a handy 47 points each!

Here are the other predictions and points awarded from the Hungarian Grand Prix:

Enigma keeps his lead at the top of the overall standings of the predictions league:

Our predictions league is sponsored by Henri Lloyd. Check their Mercedes GP merchandise, follow them on Twitter and join them onFacebook.

Mark Webber won Red Bull’s 100th Grand Prix in style after a great tactical decision from team principal, Christian Horner. Horner decided not to pit Webber under the safety car and it turned out to be the right choice. Webber was leading as the safety car came back in and team mate, Vettel was, illegally, more than 10 car lengths away from Webber. It ended up with Vettel getting a drive-thru penalty and Webber winning the race. Vettel has now won only one of his 6  races where he started from pole – a terrible record.

Webber was happy to win in a difficult Grand Prix, on his 150th Grand Prix start. “Not an easy Grand Prix today. We knew the start was crucial, especially at a venue like this where it’s difficult to overtake. I knew I would be on the back foot fighting with Sebastian and Fernando at the start. I settled into the first stint, but then it was a chess game as to how we would jump Ferrari. The safety car opened up the race and we went off strategy and did something completely different to Fernando. When the safety car came out and I was told to stay out I hoped Fernando would go in to pit. When I saw him go in I knew we had a chance to do something good. I then settled down on the soft tyre and worked on getting a twenty-second lead to Fernando. After I came in for my pit-stop I was able to control the race,” the Australian reflected.

“It’s a nice way to celebrate my 150th race and a great day for us as a team on our 100th race weekend. This result is a credit to the team, they made a good call on the strategy and the car was bomb proof. The next race is Spa, which is a beautiful circuit. I’m looking forward to that race, but it will be nice to have a few days off in the break beforehand,” Webber added.

There were awkward scenes before the podium celebration as Vettel clearly did not know why he was given a penalty. However, he now says he understands. “During the race, I didn’t understand why I got the drive-through penalty, but I understood after the race what happened,” the young German said.

It has now become clear that it was due to a lost radio connection Vettel was given a penalty – he did not know that the safety car was coming in. He admitted he was ‘sleeping’ at the re-start: “The start was fine; we knew it was a long run to the first corner and Fernando got the tow, but we were able to defend and had a good first stint. When the safety car came out, it was a late call for my pit-stop, so I only just managed to come in. After that it should have been straightforward, as we knew we had the pace advantage. I was sleeping at the re-start, I had lost the radio and was waiting for an instruction of when the safety car would come in. I didn’t see the lights in my car. Mark was close to the safety car, so I thought we had another lap. But then I saw the safety car come in and I was caught out. I lost a lot of momentum and then I got the drive-through. I am disappointed, as I hoped to win today. I was third, so it was a good result for the team, but I am disappointed.”

Team principal Christian Horner said it was a ‘fantastic’ 100th Grand Prix for the Austrian team. “A fantastic 100th Grand Prix weekend for Red Bull Racing. It was a really dominant performance from us to win the race today. The safety car came out at probably one of the worst times in the race. We split the strategies, as the only way to get Mark back ahead of the Ferraris was to outrun them at the safety car restart. Unfortunately, at the re-start, Sebastian dropped too far behind Mark and got a penalty as a result. Mark then got his head down, as he had to pull out a twenty second lead to Fernando in order to do the pit-stop and stay ahead. He drove an awesome 20 laps to achieve the required gap and win the race. For Sebastian, it was a great shame to receive the penalty. He pushed Fernando as hard as he could for the remaining thirty laps, but it’s very difficult to overtake here,” Horner explained.

“A one/ three finish puts us in the lead of the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships going into the summer break, which will give the team a chance to recharge their batteries in preparation for what will be a very intense final third of the Championship,” he finished.

Mercedes’ torrid Hungarian GP has gone from bad to worse as they were handed a £50,000 fine for Rosberg’s wheel loss in the pit lane and then Schumacher was given a 10 place grid penalty for Spa after nearly putting Barrichello in the pit wall. Barrichello had been catching Schumacher for a few laps and finally passed him on the pit straight. But as he passed him, Schumacher still tried to close the door on Barrichello, leaving Barrichello just centimeters away from the pit wall. Mercedes then issued an apology after Rosberg’s stray wheel hit a Williams mechanic.

Michael Schumacher said that it was one of the toughest races of his career. ”Today’s race was probably was one of the toughest that I have had so far. It was pretty edgy to drive the car on the limit so I had to fight my way through the race, and at the end, it was like walking on ice,” the veteran German with seven world championships said, before explaining his move on Rubens Barrichello, which led the Brazilian to request Schumacher was given a disqualification from the race.

“Regarding the overtaking manoeuvre with Rubens, I indicated pretty early that I would move towards the inside and not simply give up the line, and there was just enough space for him to pass me without touching each other. It was a hard fight, and this is what we are here for, but I accept that the FIA stewards saw it as too hard. I look forward to the break now and to coming back out of it stronger in Spa,” Schumacher added.

Nico Rosberg’s race was ended in a rather embarrassing and dangerous fashion when his wheel came loose in the pit lane, before hitting a Williams mechanic. “It was a disappointing end to a difficult weekend today. I didn’t have a good start because I was on the dirty side and I was struggling to find the pace to keep up with Petrov, so it would have been tough to make up much ground. We needed to have a good pit stop to stay ahead of Kubica but unfortunately we had the problem with the right rear wheel. It’s disappointing to have my first retirement of the season but these things happen and we will learn from the experience. After I heard that my tyre hit big Nige, one of my old Williams truckies, I was more concerned about my tyre than him! But seriously, it’s great that he doesn’t have any serious injures and I’m sorry for the incident. We’ll come back in Spa ready to do better,” Rosberg said.

Team boss Ross Brawn explained the day’s events: “Today was very disappointing for the team but sometimes these experiences happen and it is important that we learn from them. Nico and Michael struggled with their starts from the dirty side of the grid and it certainly cost Nico a place. The early safety car brought everyone in for their pit stops with our drivers due in quick succession. We had a problem with the right rear wheel during Nico’s stop and his car was sent without the wheel nut being properly fitted. We will have a thorough investigation into the incident and report our conclusions to the FIA. We are thankful that no serious harm was caused by the stray wheel and send our best wishes to the Williams mechanic who was unfortunately injured. Michael’s stop followed just under five seconds later and he was held whilst we sorted out the problem to ensure there was not a reoccurrence. This cost him a lot of track time at a crucial point and he came out down the field. Michael and Rubens had a tough battle in the closing laps which the stewards ultimately felt was too tough. We don’t necessarily agree with their decision but we do accept the penalty. It’s been a tough weekend but we will go away, lick our wounds and come back stronger at the next few races.”

McLaren lost both their perches at the top of  the constructors and drivers standings after a terrible Hungarian GP. Jenson Button did finish with 3 points after starting from 11th  but Hamilton retired with transmission failure. The Woking-based team will hope to have their car back up to speed with the Ferraris and the Red Bulls in four weeks time.

Jenson Button said that after a good start to a weekend, it was disappointing result for the team.”The weekend started really well: we showed good pace in free practice and I was looking forward to qualifying. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out, and I started 11th on the grid. I got a good start off the line, but I went four abreast into Turn One, and got stuck on the outside, losing about four or five places. So, from that position, finishing eighth wasn’t too bad. I lost a lot of points, and for the team to take home only four points today is disappointing,” he reigning world champion said.

Button added that there is still all to play for in terms of championships: “There isn’t a very big points gap covering the top four drivers – I’m only 14 points behind the championship leader, after all – so it’s still all to play for. It’s been a tough weekend, but we’ll come back fighting. We’re a very positive and strong team, and we’ve been in difficult situations before, so we can definitely jump back from this – hopefully as soon as Spa-Francorchamps at the end of this month.”

As mentioned earlier, Lewis Hamilton retired from the race. “I was accelerating out of Turn One when I felt a sudden vibration and then a loss of drive. I initially thought it was a driveshaft failure, but it now appears that it was a gearbox problem. Actually, I may have had an issue with the gearbox from the very beginning of the race, when I initially feared I had a brake-related vibration,” the former world champ lamented, before adding that he was ‘certain’ McLaren would be able to catch up with the front-runners.

Team boss Martin Whitmarsh admitted the team are disappointed,  but believes they are still in the chase for both titles: “Obviously, we’re disappointed with our haul of world championship points here in Hungary, but we remain in hot contention for the drivers’ world championship and the constructors’ world championship, and it’s all still to play for in the last seven grands prix of the season. We always knew that this year’s world championship was going to be a tough battle, but we’re up for that tough battle – so bring it on!”