Sebastian Vettel went some way to making up for the disappointments of Germany and Hungary by driving a clinical race to take victory in Belgian Grand Prix to close his championship deficit.
The Ferrari driver managed to pass pole sitter Lewis Hamilton as they approached Turn 4, using the long Kemmel Straight to slipstream the Mercedes just seconds before the Safety Car came out for a huge Turn 1 incident.
In a crash that echoed the 2012 event, Nico Hulkenberg piled into the back of Fernando Alonso, forcing the Spaniard into the air and over the top of Charles Leclerc’s Sauber, forcing all three to retire on the spot.
Belgian GP: Race result | Drivers' Championship | Constructors' Championship
It had a knock-on effect though as Alonso’s front-wing caught Daniel Ricciardo’s rear-wing, removing it in the process. Ricciardo also made contact with Kimi Raikkonen, puncturing the Ferrari’s right-rear tyre.
Valtteri Bottas also outbraked himself at Turn 1 and hit the rear of Lance Stroll, though the Williams driver escaped any major damage.
The Safety Car remained out for a handful of laps before coming in and at the restart Hamilton attempted to pass Vettel at the final chicane, but didn't quite have the pace to make the move stick, falling back as they ran onto the start/finish straight.
Ferrari then looked to have a pace advantage over the Mercedes as Vettel comfortably opened up a lead before the opening stops. Hamilton came in first and Ferrari reacted, calling the German in on the next lap. Vettel then emerged just 1.5s ahead of Hamilton but again pulled a gap and cruised to the chequered flag to take his fifth win of the season.
Hamilton finished second to hold a 17-point advantage in the standings heading to Ferrari's home race next weekend.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen was third after making some early moves on the Force India duo of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez. The pair both made a move for the lead at the start but were forced to back off as they went four-abreast into Turn 4, with Vettel emerging in the lead.
They didn't have the pace at the end of the race to keep a charging Valtteri Bottas behind as the Finn moved up the order throughout the race to claim fourth, with Perez leading Ocon over the finish line in fifth and sixth.
Haas Romain Grosjean was seventh ahead of team-mate Kevin Magnussen. Pierre Gasly and Marcus Ericsson completed the top ten.
Ricciardo dropped two laps at the start of the race as Red Bull conducted repairs to his rear-wing, with the Australian later voluntarily retiring on Lap 30 as it became clear that making up those lost laps would be impossible without a major incident.
