Daniel Ricciardo<\/b> – Winner<\/p>\n
Sebastian Vettel<\/b> – 5th<\/p>\n
Christian Horner, Team Principal:<\/b> A phenomenal performance to achieve our 50th victory today. Of all the tracks to win on, Spa was one of those we least expected it! Daniel drove incredibly throughout the race. It was very tight with Nico at the end, but he managed to stay ahead until the checkered flag. Sebastian, after a great start, fought with Bottas. We didn’t want to be overtaken in the pits, so we stopped quite early to ensure we stayed ahead. But then we suffered with our pace. So whether there was damage to his car or not, it wasn’t Seb’s fault today. We really need to look at that closely.<\/p>\n
– Read the drivers’ statements<\/a><\/p>\n Nico Rosberg<\/b> – 2nd<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton<\/b> – Retirement (withdrawal)<\/p>\n Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical):<\/b> \u00ab We got off to a good start, with Lewis taking the lead and Nico moving into second position. However, one lap later, the incident between the two at turn 5 effectively ruined our afternoon. It’s really a shame, as the car seemed strong all weekend and we were in an excellent position to potentially secure a one-two finish. We decided to continue the race with Lewis in case there was a safety car […]. But, in the end, it never came, and with his floor heavily damaged by tire debris from the second lap, the condition of the car deteriorated as the race progressed.<\/p>\n For Nico, it was about damage limitation. Our calculations confirmed that we needed to change his front wing to have any chance of making it to the podium \u2013 but obviously, it cost him time. As he was quickly closing the gap, a lock-up and a flat spot on his second set of tires cost him an opportunity. Overall, it’s a huge disappointment after all the hard work done by the team to come back with a result that doesn’t match our potential.<\/p>\n Find all the statements about the Mercedes drivers’ race here<\/a>, here<\/a> and there<\/a>.<\/p>\n Valtteri Bottas<\/b> – 3rd<\/p>\n Felipe Massa<\/b> – 13th<\/p>\n Rob Smedley, Head of Performance:<\/b> \u00ab Valtteri achieved a brilliant result today, delivering a mature drive and overtaking cars when needed thanks to the impressive chassis and power unit package. The strategy worked perfectly for us as well: we stuck to our plan and it paid off.<\/p>\n Felipe really didn’t have any luck, picking up a lot of debris from Hamilton’s tire, and they stayed under his car for 20 laps, which probably cost him 40 seconds in total, compromising his pace and strategy. […] It wasn’t an easy weekend. So finishing with a car on the podium is a good result, and we look forward to being in Monza.<\/p>\n – Read the drivers’ statements<\/a><\/p>\n Ferrari<\/p>\n Kimi R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen<\/b> – 4th<\/p>\n Fernando Alonso<\/b> – 8th<\/p>\n Marco Mattiacci, Team Director:<\/b> \u00ab We are very happy for Kimi: today, he finished close to the podium and achieved his best result of the season, a result that allows us to maintain our third place in the constructors’ standings.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, Fernando’s race was compromised by an issue at the start. Without that, I firmly believe the podium was within his reach. We know we missed a great opportunity, but we will learn from this incident to pay obsessive attention to our procedures [\u2026].<\/p>\n The next race will be complicated because top speed is a strong point of the teams with a Mercedes engine. We will try to defend ourselves with every possible means, as the efforts made within the team to improve the car are encouraging signs.<\/p>\n – Read the drivers’ statements<\/a><\/p>\n Kevin Magnussen – 6th<\/p>\n Jenson Button<\/b> – 7th<\/p>\n Eric Boullier, Racing Director:<\/b> Before I say anything else, I have to pay tribute to Formula 1, which produced a magnificent afternoon of entertainment here in Belgium today. On the most challenging track on the Formula 1 calendar, there were very tight battles throughout the field. The spectacle must have been fantastic on television.<\/p>\n Throughout the race, Jenson and Kevin fought, and it was great to see them battle with the Red Bulls and Ferraris. They both drove very well, showcasing all their talents, and even though they fought wheel to wheel, they never touched.<\/p>\n Now, we are heading to Monza, another circuit with low aerodynamic downforce, where we hope to capitalize on our strong development program and score many valuable points for the world championship.<\/p>\n – Read the drivers’ statements<\/a><\/p>\n Sergio Perez<\/b> – 9th<\/p>\n Nico H\u00fclkenberg<\/b> – 11th<\/p>\n Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal:<\/b> Considering the issues we had in qualifying yesterday, it’s good to see the team bounce back today and score points. The two-stop races for Sergio and Nico went as planned, without major problems, but starting outside the top 10, we knew we would have a challenging task this afternoon. Both our drivers found themselves in midfield traffic, which made it difficult to show our pace, especially at the start of the race. Sergio delivered a mature race and scored some points while Nico was close to the final point [which he secured following Magnussen’s penalty, Ed.]. We remain in a good position in the championship and hope Monza will give us a better opportunity to demonstrate our potential.<\/p>\n – Read the drivers’ statements<\/a><\/p>\n Daniil Kvyat – 10th<\/p>\n Jean-Eric Vergne<\/b> – 12th<\/p>\n Franz Tost, Team Principal:<\/b> \u00ab Firstly, congratulations to Daniel Ricciardo and Red Bull for another victory. Daniel’s race was very exciting, so great job! On our side, Daniil scored [two points] which is very important for the team and the constructors’ championship. Unfortunately, our race performance wasn’t at a level allowing us to fight and beat the teams ahead of us. Both our drivers did a very good job, always pushing to the maximum. We leave this magnificent circuit with a [ninth] place and we are eagerly looking forward to our home Grand Prix in Monza. \u00bb<\/p>\n – Lire les d\u00e9clarations des pilotes<\/a><\/p>\n Adrian Sutil<\/b> – 14th<\/p>\n Esteban Gutierrez<\/b> – 15th<\/p>\n Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal:<\/b> \u00ab All team members had an error-free race. However, it’s disappointing to see that on a circuit where power and top speed are crucial, we were simply not fast enough. For the upcoming races, it will be important for us to build on the recent improvements made to the chassis in the last races. \u00bb<\/p>\n – Read the drivers’ statements<\/a><\/p>\n Max Chilton<\/b> – 16th<\/p>\n Jules Bianchi<\/b> – 18th<\/p>\n John Booth, Team Director:<\/b> \u00ab This is not the result we were hoping for today, however, overall, it remains a positive race. Max’s race started off pretty well, even though we were not able to benefit from the undercut against Ericsson because we stopped on the same lap. We knew our best chance was to review our strategy and have a longer second stint on mediums, allowing Max to attack the race with fresher soft tires, which he managed to do in the final lap of the race.<\/p>\n For Jules, his day was almost over at the exit of turn 1. With the puncture, he lost a little over 50 seconds; however, he didn’t give up and had a fantastic first stint on the soft tires, significantly reducing the gap and lapping at the same pace as the Saubers. In the end, the one-stop strategy to protect against a safety car intervention didn’t pay off, and combined with the blue flags you get when you’re that far back, it meant he wasn’t able to climb back up.<\/p>\n Overall, there are positive points to take away in terms of the pace and balance seen on the car this weekend. Everyone is looking forward to being at Monza and tackling the challenges of a fantastic and historic new circuit.<\/p>\n – Read the drivers’ statements<\/a><\/p>\n Marcus Ericsson<\/b> – 17th<\/p>\n Andr\u00e9 Lotterer<\/b> – Retirement (engine)<\/p>\n Cedrik Staudohar, Track Support Manager of Renault Sport F1:<\/b> \u00ab We had a very smooth race with Marcus, and he was ahead of Chilton for most of the Grand Prix. We tried to give him as much power as possible at the end, but the tire degradation was too high, and Max managed to pass. Andr\u00e9’s race was very short – his car lost power on the second lap, possibly after going too hard on the curb. We will need to look at this in more detail tonight. Overall, despite everything, it’s a positive weekend that gives us a good foundation for the second part of the upcoming season. \u00bb<\/p>\nMercedes<\/h2>\n
Williams<\/h2>\n
McLaren<\/h2>\n
Sahara Force India<\/h2>\n
Toro Rosso<\/h2>\n
Sauber<\/h2>\n
Marussia<\/h2>\n
Caterham<\/h2>\n