F1 | Belgian GP – THE POINT

Nico Rosberg wins the Belgian Grand Prix in the demanding track of Spa-Francorchamps, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton, speeding from the last row along with Fernando Alonso.

A recovering weekend for Ferrari whose start during the free practice had been under its level. They managed to invert the direction in view of qualifying gaining the whole second row. Unfortunately, all their work has been frustrated at the first turn. Both the drivers had made a good start, differently from Vesrtappen. The impetuosity of the Red Bull Dutch driver caused a contact between the Ferrari drivers with an action at the limit of regulation with the complicity of Sebastian Vettel who closed the bend too early, frustrating the result.

Inexplicably, Max Verstapen is never punished by commissioners, as it happens, instead, to his competitors. Rosberg has suffered a penalty for much less. I do not refer just to the first turn, but to the many direction changes during the challenge with Kimi Raikkonen and to his action with some other drivers. Beyond his outstanding qualities, it seems to me that he complains too much.

Daniel Ricciardo and Red Bull have achieved the second place easily. This way, they extend their distance from Ferrari on the standings. An unexpected result, especially if we look at the competitiveness in T2 where aerodynamics has a central role. The real surprise at Spa was Force India that with the fourth and the fifth places of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez surpasses Ferrari in the standings (two points) and grabs the fourth place.

Fortune favors the braves. Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamolton, speeding from the last row, have exploited every single occasion, from the virtual safety-car to the red flag, and at the end of the first lap they were already in fourteenth and fifteenth positions. Their pace in the final especially that of the Spaniard who cannot count on a car like Mercedes proves how he is still “hungry”. He exploited all his experience in F1 to bring McLaren ahead of Toro Rosso in the standings.

In seven days, we are all in Monza for the Italian Grand Prix. It is also the last seasonal event in the Old Continent. If in Belgium they touched 340/355 km/h, I cannot image what will happen at the end of the straight track.