Belgium – Race: Vettel Dominates at Spa!

The 11th round of the 2013 Formula 1 World Championship opens with a major uncertainty: what will the weather be like during the race? Contrary to expectations, the Grand Prix does not start in the rain, and Toto Wolff, Mercedes director, even ventured to announce that it might not rain during the race.

It is worth noting that Green Peace activists slightly disrupted the pre-race events by attempting to deploy a banner from the roof of the main grandstand on the straight, inviting Shell, the title sponsor of the race, to stop its drilling in the Arctic.

Place to the race! At the start, Paul di Resta misses his takeoff while Fernando Alonso, on the contrary, succeeds and takes fifth place. Ahead, Hamilton gets out in front, but Vettel already passes him in Kemmel. Webber loses his third place first to Button and Rosberg, then to Alonso. Di Resta manages to avoid the worst by maintaining sixth place, ahead at the start of the second lap, of Nico Hülkenberg and the two Lotus cars, Grosjean ahead of Räikkönen but not for long as the Finn attacks and passes his teammate.

Vettel already has nearly a three-second lead over Hamilton at the third crossing of the finish line, which earns him a warning from Guillaume Rocquelin, who asks him to preserve his tires. Alonso outmaneuvers Button at the Les Combes braking point and takes fourth position. On the following lap, it’s Webber who overtakes the Brit, now in sixth. Les Combes is where everything happens, as Alonso gets the better of Rosberg and moves onto the provisional podium. The Spaniard is less than three seconds behind Hamilton. Behind Di Resta, in seventh, a group forms including Hülkenberg, Räikkönen, Grosjean, Perez, Massa, and Sutil.

After eight laps, Vettel is first ahead of Hamilton, Alonso, Rosberg, and Webber. Räikkönen is putting pressure on Hülkenberg, but the Sauber driver doesn’t give in, just like Grosjean who is resisting Perez. However, in Kemmel, Perez is close enough to attack Grosjean: the Mexican overtakes the Frenchman, leaving him minimal space (the action will be reviewed by the stewards). The Lotus is forced to cut across Combes, and Massa takes advantage of this to snatch a new position from Grosjean. Meanwhile, Räikkönen gives it his all to gain an advantage over Hülkenberg: he doesn’t manage to do it at the Bus Stop but, as since the beginning, it’s in Kemmel where he needs to launch, and Iceman takes eighth place. Rosberg, meanwhile, is holding off Webber.

**After 10 laps**, Hülkenberg and Massa open the first wave of pit stops: the Brazilian, on mediums, emerges ahead of the Sauber, on hards. The following lap, Di Resta, then seventh, enters the pits as Pic is forced to retire due to a technical problem. Perez will be required to pit several times as the stewards give him a drive-through penalty for his maneuver on Grosjean. Hamilton is the first of the favorites to pit; he goes back out on mediums. He passes Grosjean, who offers no resistance at the Bus Stop. But Grosjean uses his DRS at Kemmel to regain the advantage at Les Combes. Rosberg dives into the pit lane in his turn and comes out tenth. Räikkönen is warned that he must limit the use of his front brakes as his left-front carbon disc is dangerously compromised.

After 14 laps, Vettel still leads as Alonso and Webber pit to change tires and Perez serves his drive through. Hamilton finally gets past Grosjean to reclaim sixth place in… Kemmel! Vettel pits last on the next lap. He comes out second behind Button as Hamilton is willingly overtaken by Alonso at La Source. The Briton uses DRS in Kemmel, but Alonso, with better top speed and late braking, manages to keep the advantage. Vettel overtakes Button at the Bus Stop and thus regains the lead of the race. In the midfield, Massa passes Gutierrez for ninth place and Räikkönen overtakes Sutil for the thirteenth position. Webber passes Grosjean, who still hasn’t pitted, and thus ranks in sixth place. Räikkönen passes, with difficulty, Perez then Gutierrez to take the ninth position.

After 20 laps, Vettel comfortably leads with a 7.7-second advantage over Alonso, Hamilton (+9.7), Rosberg (+15.0), and Webber (16.6). Grosjean, in sixth, still hasn’t stopped even though the window for a single stop is now open. Webber is getting closer and closer to Rosberg, and the Mercedes is within DRS range. Further back, Button overtakes Grosjean at the Bus Stop chicane. The Frenchman is preserving his tires to make a pit stop, which he does, to switch to hard tires that will need to last for the remaining 21 laps. He rejoins between the two Toro Rossos of Vergne and Ricciardo, in thirteenth position. Räikkönen has been putting pressure on Massa for several laps but hasn’t managed to get close enough to the Ferrari to attempt anything, particularly at Les Combes.

On the 26th lap, Räikkönen suffers a brake failure and must go straight on at the Bus Stop chicane. He immediately takes the pit lane upon returning to the track and abandons his car in the pits. The first time in a long while for the Finn. Rosberg then Hamilton stop to switch to hard tires. While Maldonado and Gutierrez are fighting fiercely, the Mexican tries the inside at the Bus Stop, the Venezuelan struggles and must make a big swerve. He slightly touches Sutil but completely collides with Di Resta, who must retire with a left rear wheel torn off. The Williams manages to return to the pits nonetheless. Alonso takes advantage to pit and avoid Button’s return. Webber stops next, before Vettel does so on the following lap. The championship leader calmly resumes the lead, also on hard tires.

On the 31st lap, Vettel has a 6.8 second lead over Alonso, Button (-1 stop), Hamilton, and Rosberg. The triple world champion is asked to extend his lead as rain might disrupt the race in the final laps. At McLaren, Button finally pits and comes out just ahead of Grosjean, in sixth position. In the pack, Hülkenberg and Vergne are engaged in a great battle: the Sauber driver squeezes Vergne at Les Combes, but the Frenchman holds his ground and remains on track, squeezing the German back at the exit of the chicane to stay in eleventh place. Sutil easily handles Perez at the exit of Raidillon, in the inevitable Kemmel.

At the 37th lap, Vettel is ahead of Alonso by about ten seconds. Hamilton, Rosberg, and Webber complete the top 5, with the Australian fighting hard to catch up to the Mercedes. Maldonado receives a stop-and-go penalty for causing the collision that led to Paul di Resta’s retirement on the twenty-sixth lap. Massa is putting more pressure on Grosjean, which could soon indicate a battle for the Lotus driver’s seventh place.

Four laps to go, Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton, Rosberg, and Webber still form the top 5. Behind them, Grosjean is overtaken by Massa and will have to settle for eighth place. It is in the pack that this Grand Prix remains lively as Ricciardo overtakes Pérez at Kemmel for tenth place. Vettel is asked to start securing his position, with a 16-second lead over Alonso three laps from the finish. At the start of the last lap, the German has a 17-second lead over Alonso, who is also securing his position. Hamilton sees Rosberg closing in on him but shouldn’t be threatened.

Sebastian Vettel crosses the line and secures his fifth victory of the season, the 31st of his career after a masterful race won from the first lap during the overtaking of Lewis Hamilton. Fernando Alonso finishes a brilliant second, and Hamilton manages to hold onto the podium ahead of Nico Rosberg. Jenson Button finishes in a strong sixth place ahead of Massa, Grosjean, Sutil, and Ricciardo. Kimi Räikkönen suffered a significant loss today after his retirement and is relegated to fourth place in the championship.

Result of the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix: