Slight underdog Hamilton outlasts Webber, takes Belgian Grand Prix, no. 1 in standings

That’s how this Formula One Drivers’ Championship is going: Another race, another leader, another bunch of storylines. Lewis Hamilton blew past Mark Webber early in the Belgian Grand Prix and hung on to take an easy win. With Hamilton’s victory came his new no. 1 standing on the table, three points ahead of Webber, as his McLaren team completed a two-race comeback.

“This last push in the championship couldn’t have started better for me,” Hamilton stated on the official Formula One website. “This victory was the perfect way to bounce back from Hungary.”

Webber won pole position for the first time in six races and snapped Sebastian Vettel’s four-race streak at the position; however, it did him little good, as he found himself in sixth place going into the first turn. Hamilton had claimed the lead by the end of the second lap, which was followed shortly thereafter by a downpour and the safety car’s appearance.

Still on something of a dangerous track, Vettel collided with Jenson Button in the 16th lap to take the latter out of the race and Vettel out of contention for good.

Hamilton increased his lead when race resumed but his teammate Jenson Button’s championship aspirations suffered a setback when Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull hit him during lap 16.

Interestingly, Hamilton was considered the underdog at the sportsbooks among the big four going into the race at 5/1 odds, while Webber was third on most bookmaker’s tables at 4/1. Vettel was getting 9/4 odds in most shops, while Fernando Alonso, who was never in it in Belgium, had been the favorite.

That’s how this Formula One Drivers’ Championship is going: Another race, another leader, another bunch of storylines. Lewis Hamilton blew past Mark Webber early in the Belgian Grand Prix and hung on to take an easy win. With Hamilton’s victory came his new no. 1 standing on the table, three points ahead of Webber, as his McLaren team completed a two-race comeback.

“This last push in the championship couldn’t have started better for me,” Hamilton stated on the official Formula One website. “This victory was the perfect way to bounce back from Hungary.”

Webber won pole position for the first time in six races and snapped Sebastian Vettel’s four-race streak at the position; however, it did him little good, as he found himself in sixth place going into the first turn. Hamilton had claimed the lead by the end of the second lap, which was followed shortly thereafter by a downpour and the safety car’s appearance.

Still on something of a dangerous track, Vettel collided with Jenson Button in the 16th lap to take the latter out of the race and Vettel out of contention for good.

Hamilton increased his lead when race resumed but his teammate Jenson Button’s championship aspirations suffered a setback when Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull hit him during lap 16.

Interestingly, Hamilton was considered the underdog at the sportsbooks among the big four going into the race at 5/1 odds, while Webber was third on most bookmaker’s tables at 4/1. Vettel was getting 9/4 odds in most shops, while Fernando Alonso, who was never in it in Belgium, had been the favorite.