Nico Rosberg wins Belgian GP, Hamilton finishes third

Mercedes driver, Nico Rosberg has won the 2016 Belgian GP. His team-mate, Lewis Hamilton managed to finish third while Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo came in second.

The Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps saw various game-changing events. Ferrari and Red Bull had a poor start. The two Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen made contact with each other, after which the latter collided with Red Bull's Max Verstappen. This caused damages to all three cars, which were subsequently called into the pits for repairs. The opening lap of the race also saw Manor's Pascal Wehrlein running into the back of Jenson Button’s McLaren, putting both of them out of the race.

The race also saw a major crash when Kevin Magnussen lost control of his Renault on lap 6. His car spun and smashed into the barriers. He mercifully walked away from the crash, but was later diagnosed with a sore ankle. The crash caused the race to be red flagged on lap 9 as the crash barriers and tyre walls needed to be repaired. The race was resumed after 17 minutes.

All these incidents helped Hamilton to take the podium finish in the end. The British driver started the race at the 21st position on the grid, after suffering multiple penalties due to various engine failures earlier this season. But the first lap drama and the red flag helped him climb the numbers easily. Hamilton was at the fifth position when the race resumed, and managed to climb to third easily. But Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo gave a tough fight and managed to clinch on to his second position, while Hamilton was happy finishing third.

Force India's Nico Hulkenberg was fourth, again missing a podium finish, while his team mate Sergio Perez came in fifth. Sebastian Vettel managed the sixth spot despite the crash on the opening lap, while McLaren's Fernando Alonso amazingly came seventh after starting from the last at the grid. Williams' Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas finished eight and tenth, with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen on the ninth spot.

After the Belgian GP win, Nico Rosberg has cut down his team mate's lead to nine points. The current driver standings are as follows:
1. Lewis Hamilton - 232
2. Nico Rosberg - 223
3. Daniel Ricciardo - 151