Belgium: post-race analysis 2019
One bet red, the other
green, modestly profitable overall. A race that started well, and had
an exciting end, but a bit of a lull for much of the middle.
Off the line, Hamilton
passed Vettel. This was a mistake as it immediately gave the very
powerful Ferrari a slipstream which allowed the German to immediately
retake his place (had this not happened, it’s likely Hamilton
would’ve won the race).
Further back things
were less serene. Verstappen misjudged a narrow gap and collided with
Raikkonen, who couldn’t see him. Raikkonen’s race was ruined due
to car damage, and Verstappen soon discovered his car couldn’t turn
as he wished. The Dutchman ploughed into the wall and his race ended
after just a few corners. The safety car came out.
One or two pitted, some
due to necessity (such as Raikkonen). A strange thing happened as the
safety car was coming in. At the final chicane Sainz, whose clutch
appeared to be misbehaving, went off in the run-off area and his car
couldn’t be moved. The safety was wisely kept out a lap longer to
allow the McLaren to be cleared out of harm’s way.
Norris had risen to 5th
due to avoiding the carnage around him. Nobody was in danger of
passing him but the top four were rapidly pulling away. Hamilton
appeared to have the edge on Vettel, whose tyres seemed to be going
off, but the Ferrari engine was making passing very tricky.
The German pitted, the
rest of the top four staying out for significantly longer. When they
did pit, it had been so long that Vettel led the race (ahead of
Leclerc, Hamilton, and Bottas). Further back, Norris was still all by
himself, the Haas were sliding down the order, and Albon was making
decent progress.
But there was a price
to pay for Vettel. His tyres were going off again. He let Leclerc
through, and then was a very helpful roadblock, keeping Hamilton
behind him for a few laps and costing the Briton several seconds.
Vettel pitted, coming out a clear 4th but with shiny new
soft tyres to crack on for the fastest lap.
Further back, Albon was
rising through the order and had the pace to try and pace Perez late
on. A chance he took. And, to cap it off, Norris’ car failed on the
penultimate lap. Woe for the Briton, who had driven flawlessly, but
delight for the Thai who ended up with a very strong 5th
on his début (including a splendid pass on Ricciardo, amongst
others).
Back to the sharp end.
Hamilton was whittling away Leclerc’s lead and the Monegasque was
running into traffic. The champion was gobbling up the lead a second
a lap. But he ran out of laps. Leclerc held his nerve and kept his
place for a maiden victory. Well deserved, and a little overdue.
Hamilton got 2nd, with which he won’t be unduly
displeased, and Bottas completed the podium.
Vettel’s tyre
degradation cost him. That said, his defensive skills got his team
and team mate the win. He also ended up with the fastest lap.
Very much a tale of two
drivers for Red Bull. The established star made his first mistake of
the season, and the chap who hasn’t completed a year in the sport
got 5th, which is probably the best possible result he
could’ve got.
Terrible for McLaren. A
double DNF when they were a lap away from an impressive 5th
for Norris (he was classified 11th). Perez had a solid
race and gets valuable points for Racing Point in 6th.
Stroll also grabbed the final point, despite his significant
penalties. Toro Rosso also had a great day with Kvyat (who also had
huge penalties) getting 7th and Gasly 9th.
Renault, after their
qualifying pace, were lacklustre. Could be wrong but I think they
pitted Ricciardo early and it hurt him. Either way, Hulkenberg got
8th and Ricciardo was well out of the points in 14th.
Squabbling children
Magnussen and Grosjean got 12th and 13th. The
Alfas and Williams were well off the pace. A shame Raikkonen had the
early collision as he might’ve had a very good result otherwise.
Giovinazzi crashed on the final lap but was fine.
Note:
it turns out an Albon-Perez incident is being investigated by
stewards.
Drivers:
Hamilton 268
Bottas 203
This title is
effectively over.
Constructors:
Mercedes 471
Ferrari 326
Red Bull 254
McLaren 82
Toro Rosso 51
Renault 43
Racing Point 40
Alfa Romeo 32
Haas 26
Williams 1
If Albon can keep up
his performance level, Red Bull might yet overtake Ferrari. The gap
should widen at Monza, which should be a happy hunting ground for the
Prancing Horse, but a lot of other circuits might rather suit the Red
Bull. McLaren will be glad they built up such a big lead over the
rest of the midfield that they can afford a double DNF, but they
won’t want to make a habit of it. Renault’s lacklustre
performance and Perez’s strong result means Racing Point are just a
few points behind the French team. Alfa Romeo could’ve made up
ground too, perhaps, had Raikkonen’s race not been compromised at
the first corner. Haas remain becalmed, and I’d be somewhat
surprised if Williams can add to their solitary point.
The next race is Monza,
next weekend.
Morris Dancer
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