Ricciardo wins Belgian GP

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 24 Agustus 2014 | 23.08

Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth fastest for the Belgian GP at Spa overnight, but was lucky to post a time at all after making this impressive save in the wet.

Daniel Ricciardo won the Belgian Grand Prix for his third Formula One victory this season. Source: Getty Images

WORLD championship leader Nico Rosberg was condemned by his team and booed by spectators on Sunday after colliding with Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton on the way to taking second place behind victorious Australian Daniel Ricciardo in the Belgian Grand Prix.

Ricciardo's dominant effort in Belgium backed up a thrilling victory in Hungary in July, which itself followed his maiden F1 win at the Canadian Grand Prix in June.

Rosberg finished second, the German world championship leader having survived another run-in with Hamilton, whose tyre he punctured on the second lap, leading to the Briton's eventual retirement.

It was Red Bull's 50th win in Formula One and a beaming Ricciardo was hailed with cheers, while Rosberg was booed by the crowd at the end of the race. It appeared that Hamilton was the victim of a misjudged passing move by the German.

The damage wrecked his race and may have ruined his title bid, with seven of this year's 19 races remaining.

"I have apologized to Lewis ... A bad result for Lewis and a bad result for the Mercedes team," said Mercedes team chief Niki Lauda.

Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo leads during the Belgium Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Source: AP

After struggling to regain his momentum, the 29-year-old Briton retired with four of the 44 laps remaining, leaving Rosberg content to take his first podium finish in Belgium at the eighth attempt. He came 3.3 seconds behind the beaming Ricciardo.

Ricciardo won with a bold and well-judged drive in a dramatic race that saw Hamilton lead from the start, but fall away and eventually retire after his second-lap puncture caused by his collision with Rosberg.

The win was Ricciardo's third win in six races in his first season with Red Bull since succeeding fellow Australian Mark Webber as teammate to four-time champion German Sebastian Vettel, who came home fifth.

Ricciardo remains third on the overall standings on 166 points - 25 points behind Hamilton, in second, while Rosberg is out in front on 220 points.

"Back home, there is a huge following for F1, but this is almost as many Aussie flags as there was in Melbourne!" said Ricciardo.

"So thanks so much. It is a bit different when you lead the race for that long, it's more about composure and trying to keep steady.

"Once Nico went in I knew he would be quick at the end so I had to keep my pace up to stay ahead of him.

"When you are leading the first thing is you hope everything holds together, mechanically you hope everything gets you to the finish line but certainly when you are in the lead the chequered flag can't come soon enough."

Mercedes team bosses Niki Lauda and Toto Wolff both laid the blame for the second-lap crash that left leader Hamilton with a race-wrecking puncture on Rosberg who appeared to drive into his teammate's car.

"Completely unacceptable," said Wolff.

"That was just an unacceptable race. It is unbelievable. You should not crash into your teammate. Lap number two of a long race and a crash between two teammates, we have often discussed the situation and it happened today.

"You don't try to overtake with the knife between your teeth in lap number two and damage both cars.

"This is a decisive moment in the battle between the two of them and for the team.

"Lewis is very upset, we kept him out there for a long time with a damaged car. He will recover quickly. It is going to be handled."

Mercedes team chief Niki Lauda added: "It's very simple. It is unacceptable that in the second lap Nico hit Lewis, completely unacceptable.

"There is going to be a meeting at 16.45, but it is unacceptable. If these things happen at the end of the race, when they are fighting for the win then you discuss it, but in the second lap to hand the victory to Red Bull.

"I thought they were clever enough to know that but obviously they aren't."

The damage wrecked Hamilton's race and may have ruined his title bid with seven of this year's 19 races remaining.

After struggling to regain his momentum, the 29-year-old Briton retired with four of the 44 laps remaining.

Finns Valtteri Bottas of Williams and Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari came home third and fourth ahead of Vettel, Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen and his McLaren teammate Briton Jenson Button, who were all engaged in a furious final tussle for positions.

On a welcome dry, if cool, afternoon in the Ardennes, Rosberg made a poor start from his 11th career pole position and Hamilton, from second on the grid, pulled alongside and outside to lead as they surged round the hairpin at La Source.

The 2008 world champion pulled clear on the entry to Eau Rouge and up the hill towards Radillon where a charging Vettel, who had taken second place, attacked without success and ran off track, falling back into third behind Fernando Alonso.

The Spaniard, who had struggled to leave the grid for the formation lap and required assistance to start, was handed a five seconds penalty - to be added to a pit stop - for the misdemeanor, but raced with great elan and determination.

Daniel Ricciardo clenches both fists in celebration on the podium after his victory. Source: AP

That persistence put him in the box seat when, on lap two, Rosberg attempted a slipstreaming pass on leader Hamilton at Les Combes where the Briton defended his line and, in another of his catalogue of misfortunes this year, suffered a puncture as the German's front wing slashed into his left rear tyre.

"Nico hit me, Nico hit me!" said an incredulous Hamilton.

Hamilton was forced to limp back to the pits with a puncture and, after his stop, rejoined in 19th position while Rosberg battled on with half his front wing missing until he pitted from the lead after eight laps.

"Nico, we advise you to hang it out," he was told, a decision that cost him several laps at reduced potential. He also had a struggle to remove a strand of debris from Hamilton's punctured tyre that was flicking into his cockpit.

It was clear he was struggling for outright pace and, following his stop, the aggressive Ricciardo took control at the front before he pitted after 12 laps and handed the lead to Bottas.

Lewis Hamilton leads Nico Rosberg into the first corner before the pair's collision on the second lap. Source: Getty Images

The Finn came in just a lap later passing the lead to Button, briefly, before he pitted and Ricciardo regained the ascendancy in a flurry of positional changes and pit stops before the race began to settle down, albeit with the drivers on contrasting tyre strategies.

By lap 20, Ricciardo led Raikkonen, Vettel and Bottas with Magnussen fifth, Alonso sixth and Button seventh. Perez was eighth ahead of Rosberg and a luckless Hamilton down in 17th after making two pit stops.

Raikkonen pitted again and Bottas climbed back to second.

Rosberg was content to work his way back up to second behind Ricciardo, knowing his teammate and only serious title-rival Hamilton had little chance of scoring any points. The Australian pitted, rejoined behind Bottas and led again when Bottas stopped again for fresh tyres, rejoining fifth.

All this left the young Australian out in front with 15 laps remaining, having driven flawlessly to head the field and leave Red Bull teammate Vettel struggling in his wake and unable to resist Bottas on lap 30. Rosberg stayed second ahead of Raikkonen, a four-time winner at Spa.Rosberg pitted for a final charge on soft tyres after 34 laps, immediately losing two places when Bottas passed him, but in a thrilling pass at Blanchimont he regained third and, seconds later, surged past Raikkonen to set up a final pursuit of Ricciardo.

- with Agence France-Presse

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