In the end, the Belgian Grand Prix was an anti-climax. That should not be taken as criticism of Sebastian Vettel and the manner of his fifth win in 2013; it is a reflection of the anticipation generated by a truly dramatic qualifying session the previous day.
On the face of it, there was nothing unusual about Lewis Hamilton claiming his fourth pole position of the season. The difference this time was that neither Hamilton nor his team, Mercedes, could believe it had happened, such was the see-saw effect of Spa-Francorchamps, the longest track in F1, being affected by light rain – but only in certain parts. Seconds before, it looked like Hamilton’s teammate, Nico Rosberg, had pole, followed in quick succession by the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Vettel. The trick was that Hamilton was the last to cross the line as the track continued to dry.
This was typical Spa weather and the belief was that overcast skies would return to this moody corner of Belgium on race day. In which case, the winner was anyone’s guess.
In the event, dark clouds hovered overhead. But the forecast rain never came. Instead of a drama spread across 44 laps, the race was effectively settled on the first.
Hamilton got away cleanly from pole but Vettel had a plan. Rather than start using the 6,67 seconds of 80 bhp (60 kW) KERS boost immediately, Vettel saved it for the exit of the first corner, the downhill charge, the swoop through Eau Rouge and the long uphill climb that follows. By taking Eau Rouge on the absolute limit, Vettel was able to slipstream the Mercedes and sweep past.
By the end of the 7.002 km lap, Vettel was leading by 1,4 seconds. After five laps, the gap was 3,9 seconds. Job done. After that, it was a matter of looking after his tyres, taking another set of the softer Medium after 14 laps and the Hard at the end of lap 30. By which time he was 20 seconds ahead.
By this stage, Hamilton was no longer second, the Mercedes having lost out to Fernando Alonso during the first pit stops and unable to offer any threat for the remainder of the race.
Second place represented a turn-around for Ferrari thanks to modifications that actually worked (as opposed to those that had delivered no performance gain in previous races) and the cooler conditions helping tyre performance. Add to that, of course, a typically opportunist drive from Alonso as he moved from ninth to fifth on the first lap, demoted Jenson Button’s McLaren on lap four and Rosberg two laps later.
Alonso was helped by Webber making another poor start due to clutch trouble, the Red Bull driver then finding himself out of position and, as he put it, using his tyres at the wrong time in order to try and make up lost ground. Fifth place was the end result, a familiar situation for the Australian as the other Red Bull finished half a minute up the road.
This may have been Vettel’s 31st win in a comparatively short career but he was particularly happy with this victory. Certainly, it had eased the German almost two clear wins ahead of Alonso in the championship, thus making his fourth successive title more of a formality than before. But neither Vettel nor his team are ready to make such an easy assumption in a season as difficult to predict as this.
Certainly, Alonso is not giving up. ‘If you have a competitive car and win four races, everything can change,’ said the Spaniard. ‘Our car is much better now; we are on the right track. Everything we brought to this race worked as it should.’
The next of the remaining eight races is Ferrari’s home Grand Prix at Monza. A win in Italy would be timely for Alonso and, dare it be said, the championship spectacle in more ways than one.