Sebastian Vettel Makes Winning the Belgian Grand Prix Look Like Child's Play

Sebastian Vettel took an easy victory at the Belgian Grand Prix. He led practically every lap and made it look easy. Fernando Alonso put in a great early drive to go from qualifying ninth to finishing in second. Lewis Hamilton once against was not able to convert a Mercedes pole position into a race victory. For most of the second half of the race, the top spots were more of a parade than a race. 

Hamilton held the lead through the first corner, but Vettel passed up after the exit of Eau Rouge. He had a 1.4-second lead by the end of the first lap. It was a 2.8-second gap by the end of the third lap. Behind the top drivers, Rosberg had moved up to third, and Jenson Button was in fourth. 

Fernando Alonso was rising through the positions. He started in ninth, and was in third by lap 10 - three seconds behind Hamilton.

The top runners began pitting around lap 13 and 14. Vettel was able to stay out until lap 15. He re-entered in second, but Jenson Button ahead of him had not yet pitted. After the pit stops had sorted themselves out, the running order was Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton.

The race had settled into a comfortable rhythm by the mid-point. All of the top cars on track had a decent gap between them. 

Raikkonen retired from the race on lap 26 after his brakes gave up. He overshot a corner and pulled the car into the pits. It will be the first race this season where he did score points.

The first big contact of the race came on lap 28. Pastor Maldonado, Paul di Resta, Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez were running as a pack. Maldonado clipped Sutil and broadsided Paul di Resta to knock him out of the race. Maldonado was able to get back to the pits for a new nose. Maldonado was given a stop-and-go penalty later in the race.

Gutierrez also got a drive though penalty later in the race for the same incident. 

After the second, round of pit stops, the top spots remained the same. Vettel had a commanding lead; Alonso was second; Hamilton was third, and Nico Rosberg was fourth.

McLaren overtakes Force India in the manufacturers' championship by four points.

With Raikkonen retiring, Alonso and Hamilton move past him into second and third place in the drivers' championship respectively.