Belgium: post-race analysis 2020
Spa’s a great circuit but fair to say this wasn’t a classic race. One bet green, one bet red, very slightly behind overall.
A note that Sainz was unable to start due to a car failure, which is a great shame for the Spaniard.
Off the line it was very tight but Ricciardo was just barely unable to pass Verstappen, the top four retaining their positions. And it ended that way too. Luckily, the midfield decided to have some moments of interest.
Giovinazzi lost control, crashed, a stray wheel taking out Russell (could’ve easily been Grosjean but there we are) and necessitating a safety car. Everybody pitted except Gasly, who was on the hard, and Perez, on the soft. Silly fellows.
Only they weren’t silly. They pitted a second time late on and gobbled up more than half the field with ease, the strategic contra-strategy working splendidly.
The top three were struggling with their tyres a lot late on but Ricciardo, 4th, seemed to have performed some sort of rubber voodoo dance before the race because he kept getting faster and by the end, entirely on real pace, he was just 3.5s behind Verstappen. I wonder how he’ll fare around Monza. Very impressive stuff from Ricciardo and Renault, and Ocon was very racy too, passing Albon late on for a 4th and 5th for Renault. Great result for the French team.
Norris also did well, cutting through the field to reach 7th (just behind Albon) and coming very close to nabbing that place too. Gasly ended up 8th, with Stroll 9th and Perez 10th.
This brings Hamilton’s win tally to 89. Just three more and the tip on him beating Schumacher’s record comes off. On the downside, despite much radio worrying nobody’s tyres forced another pit stop (at the sharp end) so there wasn’t much podium drama. Although that also meant my Bottas tip came off.
Drivers:
Hamilton 157
Verstappen 110
Bottas 107
A note that Sainz was unable to start due to a car failure, which is a great shame for the Spaniard.
Off the line it was very tight but Ricciardo was just barely unable to pass Verstappen, the top four retaining their positions. And it ended that way too. Luckily, the midfield decided to have some moments of interest.
Giovinazzi lost control, crashed, a stray wheel taking out Russell (could’ve easily been Grosjean but there we are) and necessitating a safety car. Everybody pitted except Gasly, who was on the hard, and Perez, on the soft. Silly fellows.
Only they weren’t silly. They pitted a second time late on and gobbled up more than half the field with ease, the strategic contra-strategy working splendidly.
The top three were struggling with their tyres a lot late on but Ricciardo, 4th, seemed to have performed some sort of rubber voodoo dance before the race because he kept getting faster and by the end, entirely on real pace, he was just 3.5s behind Verstappen. I wonder how he’ll fare around Monza. Very impressive stuff from Ricciardo and Renault, and Ocon was very racy too, passing Albon late on for a 4th and 5th for Renault. Great result for the French team.
Norris also did well, cutting through the field to reach 7th (just behind Albon) and coming very close to nabbing that place too. Gasly ended up 8th, with Stroll 9th and Perez 10th.
This brings Hamilton’s win tally to 89. Just three more and the tip on him beating Schumacher’s record comes off. On the downside, despite much radio worrying nobody’s tyres forced another pit stop (at the sharp end) so there wasn’t much podium drama. Although that also meant my Bottas tip came off.
Drivers:
Hamilton 157
Verstappen 110
Bottas 107
This title is done. Alas. May still be interesting races ahead, though.
Constructors:
Mercedes 264
Red Bull 158
McLaren 68
Racing Point 66
Mercedes 264
Red Bull 158
McLaren 68
Racing Point 66
Ferrari 61
Renault 59
AlphaTauri 20
Alfa Romeo 2
Haas 1
Williams 0
Very competitive midfield, even if the top 2 are basically sorted already. Under 10 points covers third down to sixth and I wouldn’t be surprised if Ferrari ended up bottom of that heap.
Just a note on engine modes: I thought they were restricted this weekend, but it turns out it’s next weekend. This has particular implications for that race as it’s Monza, which is all about power. One suspects Ferrari will find it a very painful home race (the first of three Italian Grands Prix this year).
Morris Dancer
Renault 59
AlphaTauri 20
Alfa Romeo 2
Haas 1
Williams 0
Very competitive midfield, even if the top 2 are basically sorted already. Under 10 points covers third down to sixth and I wouldn’t be surprised if Ferrari ended up bottom of that heap.
Just a note on engine modes: I thought they were restricted this weekend, but it turns out it’s next weekend. This has particular implications for that race as it’s Monza, which is all about power. One suspects Ferrari will find it a very painful home race (the first of three Italian Grands Prix this year).
Morris Dancer
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