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As the lights went out during the 2019 Belgium Grand Prix, the drivers, spectators and F1 pundits all had a heavy heart, remembering Anthoine Hubert. The 22-year-old succumbed to injuries from a horrific crash during the Formula 2 race on Saturday.
A moment of silence was maintained for the French driver before the start of the race. During the 19th lap of the race, the number Hubert raced with, the crowd in the grandstands rose as one and gave a standing ovation.
Charles Leclerc emphatically won the Belgium Grand Prix from pole position and dedicated his maiden victory to Anthoine. This came as Ferrari's first race win for the season and they would be hopefully of turning a disappointing season around.
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While the driver's championship seems a little too far out of reach for both the Ferrari drivers, they still have a fighting chance for the constrictor's championship. Their focus seems to be turned towards the same, as team orders prevailed on Sunday.
Owing to different tyre strategy, the Ferrari pit wall swiftly got their drivers switched around for the lead of the race. Sebastian Vettel, the man on the short end of the stick, had to then stay out and defend from the attacking Mercedes to give Leclerc a healthy lead ahead.
Charles put no foot wrong to achieve what his team needed. Here's a look at how the rest of the drivers fared:
#10 Williams
George Russell - P15
George Russell was pushed up to begin his race in P14 due to a bunch of grid penalties for other drivers. The Williams driver, however, was not able to make the most of that opportunity. He crossed the finished line in 15th, ahead of both Alfa Romeos and his teammate during a mostly uneventful race for him.
Driver Rating – 3/10
Robert Kubica - P17
Robert Kubica underwent yet another forgettable Grand Prix as he reached the chequered flag in 17th place. The Polish driver started from the pitlane due to changes being made on his Williams under parc ferme. It was saddening to see Sir Frank Williams in the garage watching his prestigious team fall so far down the rung.
Driver Rating – 1/10
#9 Haas
Kevin Magnussen - P12
For the most part, Kevin Magnussen was a sitting duck and could not do much other than watch as he was passed by other drivers, especially on the Kemmel Straight. The Danish racer is known to be a fierce defender, but even he lost three places in three successive laps and from there onwards, his race just went downhill. The medium tyre never truly switched on for Haas, resulting in a dreary day for the two drivers.
Driver Rating – 1/10
Romain Grosjean - P13
Romain Grosjean did not have a weekend to remember behind the wheel of his Haas. After lining up on the starting grid in ninth place, the French driver did not have the pace to improve upon his position. With whispers going around of a potential replacement coming in the form of Nico Hülkenberg, this was not the performance Grosjean would have wished for.
Driver Rating – 1/10
#8 Alfa Romeo
Kimi Räikkönen - P16
Kimi Räikkönen was not at his racing best during the weekend in Belgium. At the start, he had his nose ahead of Max Verstappen. As they both stuck to the same racing line, they ended up colliding with each other. The safety car was deployed as a result of the incident and The Iceman was seen driving into the pits for damage assessment, with his Alfa Romeo taking a hit on the right side floor.
The Finnish driver was struggling for most of the Grand Prix, as was evident when Pierre Gasly and Sergio Perez performed a double overtake on him. He later went wide and left the door open for the attacking Hülkenberg. After three pit stops, Kimi crossed the line in 16th position.
Driver Rating- 3/10
Antonio Giovinazzi - P18
Antonio Giovinazzi began his race from 18th on the grid and did well to climb up to ninth place. He lost his chance of a points-finish during the penultimate lap when he lost control of the car and crashed at Pouhon.
He classified last, barring the two retirements of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Max Verstappen. The Italian driver needs to pull up his socks to retain in the sport, especially after having done mostly everything right today.
Driver Rating- 4/10
#7 Racing Point
Sergio Perez- P6
Sergio Perez pulled off some of the most stellar looking overtakes during the Belgium Grand Prix. The Racing Point driver passed Kevin Magnussen on the Kemmel Straight during the tenth lap. He later went on to make a move on Kimi Räikkönen, which is difficult on any given day, but he made it stick while withholding pressure from Pierre Gasly behind him.
While he may have lost out a place to Alexander Albon during the later stages, but his sixth-place finish was a good way to celebrate signing a three-year contract with Racing Point.
Driver Rating – 7/10
Lance Stroll - P10
Lance Stroll was one of the few drivers opting for a two-stop-race and it worked out well for him in the end. Once the soft boots went on, Lance went hunting. One of his notable overtakes came against Grosjean as he made his way through.
The Canadian would have had to be content with P12, had Lando Norris not encountered problems and Antonio Giovinazzi not crashed out on the second-last lap. But it was Lance’s lucky day as he came out with a point at the end.
Driver Rating – 6/10
#6 Renault
Nico Hülkenberg - P8
Nico Hülkenberg gambled by pitting earlier than most others when he was going nowhere further than 13th position. Once the medium sets were on, the German driver did much better to reach the cusp of a points-scoring finish. A two-stop strategy then seemed to do the trick for Nico as a late surge saw him push past the other drivers to finish P8.
Driver Rating- 6/10
Daniel Ricciardo - P14
Daniel Ricciardo did well to qualify in sixth place behind his former teammate, Max Verstappen. The race, however, was a different story. The Aussie driver began the race down in P10 due to a power unit component change.
During the first lap confusion, the Australian lost out as he was hit from behind and had to pit with floor damage. He initially moved up places to reach P7, pushing past both the Williams and Kevin Magnussen to do so. However, the 43 lap old tyres did not help matters by the end as he was ultimately pushed back to 14th.
Driver Rating – 5/10
#5 Toro Rosso
Danil Kvyat - P7
Danil Kvyat put in yet another impressive comeback performance this season. Starting from the back end of the grid, ahead only of Robert Kubica, the Russian overtook multiple drivers on track to move up places. A late pit stop in the 25th lap gave him a fresher set of boots to do so and it was commendable how he managed his tyres till then.
Kvyat might have been looked over for a Red Bull Racing spot, but he is far from giving up. The 25-year-old is making the most of every opportunity coming his way, as was evident by his seventh-place finish at Spa.
Driver Rating – 8/10
Pierre Gasly - P9
Pierre Gasly had a point to prove to his former team, but he was not very successful in doing so. Over the summer break, the French driver was demoted to Toro Rosso. At the finish line, Gasly may have made up four places from his starting position, but his teammate and Alexander Albon did a better job.
That is not to take anything away from the youngster, who indeed had a strong race. His overtake on Kimi Räikkönen and the battle with Antonio Giovinazzi was interesting to watch.
Driver Rating- 5/10
#4 McLaren
Lando Norris - DNF
Lando Norris started in 11th position and during the first lap, placed his car in the best possible spot to shoot up to fifth amidst the chaos. From there, his race mainly comprised of maintaining his tyres, as he was well adrift of the race leaders and under no threat from others behind him.
Lando went into the pits and came back out in P7, but was quick to climb back up to 5th place. The 19-year-old did not make any mistake during the entire Grand Prix. Unfortunately, his highest career finish eluded him during this race weekend as the British youngster’s car suffered a technical failure during the last lap.
Driver Rating – 9/10
Carlos Sainz - DNF
Coming off of two strong weekends, the double DNFs would have been a disappointing start to the second half of the season for the team. Carlos Sainz was forced to pit as his car lost power during the formation lap. While he did mademakeout onto the track again, his race was short-lived after a loss of power forced him to retire.
Driver Rating - No rating
#3 Red Bull
Alexander Albon - P5
Alexander Albon’s first race as a Red Bull driver ended in a career-best fifth-place finish. The Thai driver was forced to start the race towards the back end of the grid due to penalties. His first stint on medium tyres wasn’t as successful for he was stuck behind the Renault of Nico Hülkenberg during the most of it.
The second part of the race went hugely better for the youngster as he showcased his overtaking prowess. He made bold moves, once on Daniel Ricciardo around the outside of Turn 9 and later on Sergio Perez while going on the grass, to secure P5.
Driver Rating – 7/10
Max Verstappen - DNF
Max Verstappen had a slow start off the grid and saw Kimi Räikkönen move up ahead of him. The collision with the Finn caused them both dearly. The track rod on the Dutch driver’s car broke as a result, resulting in Max careening into the barriers.
Driver Rating – 1/10
#2 Ferrari
Charles Leclerc - P1
Charles Leclerc seemed a man determined to get his maiden victory during the race at Spa. The 21-year-old, maintained the lead at the start, even as his teammate tussled with Lewis Hamilton for second place. He was watchful during the restart as the safety car went back in, staying ahead of the rest of the field.
A lockup during the middle of the race as he was well ahead of the rest of the pack was probably the only mistake the Monegasque driver made. By the end, he ensured there was enough life left in his tyres to fight off a rapidly approaching Lewis Hamilton.
Driver Rating – 9/10
Sebastian Vettel - P4
Sebastian Vettel drove more for the team than for himself today. He was a part of a tussle with Lewis Hamilton for the second place during the initial stages of the race. Vettel’s defensive skills were on display during the entire Grand Prix and he did well for the most part.
An early tyre change enabled him to successfully implement an undercut on his teammate. As Charles caught up to him on fresher rubber, he moved off to the side to let him pass as per team orders. Instead of pitting again immediately after, the German was asked to stay out in order to stall Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas for a few laps and he did exactly that.
Driver Rating – 7/10
#1 Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton - P2
Lewis Hamilton looked ready to capitalize on a poor start by Sebastian Vettel but had to concede second place when the Ferrari drive came back at him. He then mostly kept the German within sights, waiting for an opportunity to pounce, until Vettel went into the pits.
The Briton lost out a second to his immediate rivals in the pits, something that could have come in handy during the later stages of the race. A good strategy helped Hamilton secure a second place on the podium and there wasn’t much more he could have done.
Driver Rating – 7/10
Valtteri Bottas - P3
Valtteri Bottas had a relatively quiet race for the most part. The Mercedes driver never truly posed a threat or came under attack from another driver. A one-stop strategy turned out the way to go for Bottas, as he effortlessly overtook a, by then, limping Sebastian Vettel. The podium place is surely one of his easier acquired ones.
Driver Rating – 5/10
