Motorsports Mondial

SEVEN DEADLY WINS

Photo. Darren Heath

Belgian Grand Prix. Spa-Francorchamps. Sebastian Vettel may have killed any serious threat to retaining his world title by scoring his seventh victory of the season from 12 starts this year. His mate Mark Webber was second with Jenson Button completing the podium after a late race pass on Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

Red Bull’s domination of qualifying also continued in the Ardennes forest with Vettel grabbing his ninth pole of the season. Remaining three poles so far this season were claimed by Red Bull’s self-proclaimed “not bad for a # 2 driver.”

Lewis started from the front row but crashed out after colliding with the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi.

Nico Rosberg made a quick start and grabbed the lead on the opening lap. On the third lap Vettel was back in front on the Kemmel straight after deploying DRS.

With seven races remaining Vettel leads the championship over Webber by 92 points. The Australian, now confirmed at Red Bull for another season, has yet to win a race this year after coming so close to winning the championship last year.

Star of the race was the second-time-around new comer Michael Schumacher. The German seven-time welt meister was celebrating two decades of Formula 1 excellence. It was in 1991 at the same circuit that he first made the competition green with envy in his 7-Up Jordan.

Now driving for the company that paid for that debut drive, Mercedes, Schumacher started from the back of the grid after crashing on Saturday. Sunday he was the other big German show after climbing through the field to finish in the top five.

Pastor Maldonado of Venezuela, driving with a much cooler head than in qualifying, finished 10th to collect his first Formula 1 world championship point.

Vettel. Youngest pole winner, race winner and world champion. The Heppenheim Steamroller will soon be the youngest double world champion.

 

— Nasir Hameed

 

Greetings and Grand Prix Gesundheit Regards.