F1: Lewis Hamilton Takes Pole Position at Belgium GP

As expected, the new starting procedures mixed things up off the line, with Rosberg and Bottas making poor getaways from P2 and P3 on the grid, as Perez (starting P4) and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo (P5) capitalised to chase polesitter Hamilton out of the first turn.

Later, he said that contrary to speculation in some newspapers, he revelled in his busy trans-Atlantic lifestyle in which he has spent time with friends and family, and been photographed with many famous faces, in the United States and the Caribbean.

Hamilton then laid down the gauntlet to his rivals at the sharp end of the pack with a number of impressive laps.

A fastest lap from Rosberg cut the deficit to five seconds with 10 laps to go.

The threat of rain lingered throughout the race but arrived one hour after the chequered flag.

Ricciardo was the first of the leading pack to pit at the end of lap six. Rosberg has 36, level with two-time champion Graham Hill. Two laps down, he ultimately pulled his Toro Rosso into the garage to retire on lap 36. But unlike Mercedes, he did not stop again for fresh tyres.

He added that he felt also that his relationship and team-work with his race engineering team was closer and better than ever. Hamilton never looked under serious pressure as he executed a flawless two-stop strategy and kept Rosberg, who dropped to fifth at the start, comfortably behind throughout.

The failure, though, prompted a furious reaction from Vettel, who was one of several leading drivers to express their concerns about tyre safety at the drivers’ briefing after practice on Friday.

He had a point, but it did not matter.

Hamilton is now 28 points ahead of his Mercedes team-mate with eight races remaining after his first win at this most historic of races in five years.

Elsewhere, Williams were left embarrassed when they fitted three option tyres and one prime tyre on Bottas’ vehicle. The different compounds are defined by yellow for option, and white for the prime. Down at Marussia, Roberto Merhi beat team mate Will Stevens for the final positions, 15th and 16th.

Jenson Button outqualified team-mate Fernando Alonso as the McLarens were thrown to the back of the grid thanks to a record 105-place penalty.

Romain Grosjean enjoyed the pace of his Lotus and made repeated moves through Les Combes, as he did to perfection in taking third place from Pérez on lap 19, he was often lapping the quickest outside the two leaders and finished in a well-deserved third place, his first podium since the US Grand Prix in 2013.

Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, who won the last race in Hungary, finished the race as the ninth fastest driver.

“For me it was just an unbelievable weekend”, Hamilton said. The reigning Formula 1 world champion was clearly having a soothing 2nd ahead of the stress of this current weekend’s Belgian fixture, which comes after the four-week summer time break for divers & their teams.

“I have really enjoyed driving the auto, particularly the last couple of races”, he said. “The auto has been feeling great and it is a circuit where if you can get the right balance it is one of the most fun to drive”.

The defending F1 champ is looking to increase his 21-point lead over Rosberg in drivers’ standings and take his sixth victory of the season.