2016 F1 Belgian Grand Prix: Nico wins, while Lewis and Fernando shine

The 2016 Belgian Grand Prix had a lot of unanswered questions coming into the GP weekend. Will Hamilton take on a penalty to get a new, updated power unit? Does McLaren have a suitable upgrade for the MP4-31? Will the Ferrari come to form in Belgium? Will Red Bull maintain its hold as the number two team in the championships? The only thing certain was that Rosberg would be in the best position to capitalize by cutting down the lead of Hamilton in the championships.

 

Friday saw Mercedes break the engine seal to give Lewis a new power unit (three power units actually), earning the defending champion a 55-place grid penalty. Hamilton had to start the race on the last row of the grid. McLaren also earned penalties for its changes to Alonso’s car. Similarly, the Spaniard will languish at the rear beside his former McLaren team mate.

 

As predicted, Rosberg took pole for the race, and, at the start, took off without a hitch to lead everyone into La Source. But behind the German, there was contact between Vettel, Raikkonen, and Verstappen, with Sebastian losing out in the melee. The Ferrari spun out and had to take evasive action against the oncoming traffic. This gave Nico an unopposed run to the flag. Even after coming in for his scheduled pit stops, Rosberg was never threathened and didn’t relinquish the lead. It was Nico’s sixth win of the year.

 

In contrast, Lewis and Alonso had to claw their way back to the front of the pack. Hamilton was up to P12 by the third lap, with Fernando masterfully up to P10. Then on lap 6, Kevin Magnussen hit the barriers at Eau Rouge, prompting the dispatch of the safety car. Majority of the teams called in their drivers for a change of tires. All except Alonso and Hamilton. By opting to stay out, the two former teammates were now up into P4 and P5 respectively.

 

Hamilton then went about disposing of his rivals with ease, logging in fast times lap after lap. The Brit was on a mission to fight for the top spot. He hounded Daniel Ricciardo for second but ran out of laps to do so. Hamilton had to console himself with a third place finish. For his part, Fernando Alonso, soaked up the challenge from Valtteri Bottas to finish up in sixth place. The McLaren upgrades over the summer break worked wonders for the Spaniard.

 

Both Lewis and Fernando, who came from dead last to a podium finish and a points scoring finish, earned the accolades of being the best drivers of the Belgian Grand Prix.

 

This was a pleasant victory for Nico, but the widest smile on the podium was Hamilton’s. After all his penalties, he still managed to take 10 points and minimize the damage to his championship lead. The defending champion, now armed with his full complement of power units, will be focused on padding his lead once more with Monza and Singapore next in the calendar.

 

During the post race interviews, Nico, with his joy short-lived, knew that Lewis would again be challenging for the win in the upcoming races. The championship is still up for grabs and the German realises that it will not be easy to lay claim to his first ever driver’s title.