LECLERC CLAIMS MAIDEN F1 WIN AT SPA

Charles Leclerc claimed a flag to flag maiden win at a sombre Spa, as the Formula 1 fraternity mourned the loss of French F2 driver Antoine Hubert the previous day. Lewis Hamilton attacked Leclerc during the final laps of the race but was forced to settle for second as the Ferrari driver defended his lead gallantly. Sebastian Vettel played the perfect foil for much of the race as the Ferrari pair maintained position at the head of the field for the majority of the race.

The start was marred by contact between Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen, which saw the Red Bull driver suffer damage to the left front suspension and crash out shortly after at Eau Rouge.

Alfa Romeo team boss Fred Vasseu was incensed by Verstappen’s speculative move at the La Source hairpin.“He came from nowhere, he was even behind Perez before the braking,” Vasseur said. “He tried to get two cars in the first corner, and it’s stupid because in Spa you can overtake and you have room to do something. We are not in Budapest or in Monaco. “The car was completely damaged, we were missing half of the floor.”

Race officials and the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Team were not of the same view, with the crash determined to be a ‘racing incident’.

“Max remarkably has had a run since Hungary last year where he’s finished top five in every Grand Prix,” Red Bull Team boss Christian Horner stated.“It was almost an action replay of the incident here in 2016 with Kimi again. Maybe it’s a blind spot for Kimi. It’s a racing incident. He’s gone in low, I don’t think Kimi knew he was there. The problem is we’d had a poor start. At that point you’re in the pack and unfortunately it’s bitten us today.”

Daniel Ricciardo became an innocent victim in the melee that followed as cars veered left and right to avoid the initial incident. The Australian was hit from behind by Lance Stroll with such force that the Renault was lifted at the rear which damaged the tyre and undertray. Ricciardo’s race was salvaged somewhat when Verstappen found the barrels shortly after and the Safety Car was deployed. Renault placed medium compound tyres on Ricciardo’s car when he pitted at the end of the first lap. The move elevated Ricciardo back into the points as the ice unfolded, though a combination of a damaged undertray and well worn rubber made him an easy target in the latter stages of the race and he quickly fell away from the top 10.

“Our race was pretty much shaped after the lap one, turn one incident. I got hit from behind and had big damage to the floor. We had to pit, Ricciardo said. “I actually thought we might retire the car, but we put the Mediums on and the car was a bit of a handful. We kept going, held our place in the top ten, and I thought at one stage we might pick up some points. I was proud to hold on for that long and I know we couldn’t have done anymore. I’m glad today is over; yesterday’s news has been difficult to take. It was tough to be here and put on a brave face, but I’m glad I gave it my best.”

Daniel Ricciardo added that he had contemplated the thought of not starting the race as he came to grips with the loss of Renault driver Hubert.

“Yeah, last night, absolutely,” he said. “You question, ‘Is it really worth it?’ for sure. Because at the end of the day, it’s a simple question, but it’s a pretty honest one as well. Yeah, it’s our job and it’s our profession and it’s our life, but also it’s still just racing cars around in circles. To be honest, seeing some of his family here today, that’s what gave me more strength than anything else.Taking my hat off to them doesn’t do it justice. I don’t know what to say. I could not imagine being in their position, I felt they were a lot stronger than any of us today.”

Sebastian Vettel gained a 4 second lead after the round of pit stops but could not match the speed or tyre life of teammate Leclerc on the medium compound tyres. He surrendered the lead on lap 27 and then fought a rear guard action with Lewis Hamilton until lap 31. That proved to be the decisive period of the race as Leclerc ground out a 6.6 second lead which Hamilton could not overcome during the final portion of the race.

Leclerc claimed a long overdue first win from Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, who also passed Vettel as his tyres cried enough in the final laps of the race. McLaren’s Lando Norris was set to finish in fifth place, in what would have been the best result of his rookie season so far, but he retired on the final lap with suspected engine failure. That position was inherited by Red Bull’s Alexander Albon, who passed Sergio Perez via the grass on the final lap to take a superb fifth from 17th on the grid in his first race with his new team. Sergio Perez, Daniil Kvyat, Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll completed the top 10.

There were mixed emotions for Charles Leclerc as he was handed his first place trophy.

”Since I was a child I’ve been looking up to Formula 1, dreaming to be first a Formula 1 driver, which happened last year, then driving for Ferrari this year, and then the first win today,” he explained. “It’s a good day, but on the other hand, as I said, losing Anthoine yesterday brings me back to 2005, my first ever French championship. There was him, Esteban [Ocon], Pierre [Gasly] and myself. We were four kids that were dreaming of Formula 1. We grew up in karting for many, many years, and to lose him yesterday was a big shock for me but obviously for everyone in motorsport, so it was a very sad day.”

Formula 1 regroups next weekend at Monza.

Main Photo: F1 Facebook page

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