Victory for Nico Rosberg but Lewis Hamilton heroic in third
While Nico Rosberg sealed his sixth victory of the year to move to within nine points of Hamilton, it is the latter who will head to Monza for next week’s Italian Grand Prix with the broader smile on his face after he finished in third. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo split the Mercedes drivers following another exemplary performance.
Hamilton was thrown to the back of the grid after he was forced to serve a penalty following a number of engine changes in Belgium. But the world champion took advantage of a chaotic opening eight laps, with Max Verstappen and the Ferrari duo of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen involved in a first-corner collision, as well as a horror crash for Kevin Magnussen, who lost control of his Renault at 180mph through the notorious Eau Rouge corner. Jenson Button also retired after he was punted out of the race by rookie Pascal Wehrlein.
