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[VIDEO] Belgian Formula One Grand Prix: 2014 F1 highlights, commentary, blog

24th August, 2014
Final positions after qualifying:
1 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes GP 2mins 05.591secs
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 2:05.819
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 2:07.717
4 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 2:07.786
5 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Red Bull 2:07.911
6 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Williams 2:08.049
7 Kevin Magnussen (Den) McLaren 2:08.679
8 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 2:08.780
9 Felipe Massa (Bra) Williams 2:09.178
10 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren 2:09.776
11 Daniil Kvyat (Rus) Scuderia Toro Rosso 2:09.377
12 Jean-Eric Vergne (Fra) Scuderia Toro Rosso 2:09.805
13 Sergio Perez (Mex) Force India 2:10.084
14 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Sauber-Ferrari 2:10.238
15 Romain Grosjean (Fra) Lotus F1 Team 2:11.087
16 Jules Bianchi (Fra) Marussia 2:12.470
17 Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Lotus F1 Team 2:11.261
18 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Force India 2:11.267
19 Max Chilton (Gbr) Marussia 2:12.566
20 Esteban Gutierrez (Mex) Sauber-Ferrari 2:13.414
21 Andre Lotterer (Ger) Caterham 2:13.469
22 Marcus Ericsson (Swe) Caterham 2:14.438
Lewis Hamilton had reason to be upset with his team in Monaco. (Red Bull Content Pool)
Roar Guru
24th August, 2014
110
9731 Reads

RACE RESULT:

Daniel Ricciardo secured his third victory of 2014 at the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix in Spa, making it three wins for the Australian from the past six races.

Ricciardo is now 64 points behind Rosberg and only 35 points behind Hamilton in the championship.

Can he win the championship from here?

He is the form driver at the moment and the final race of the season is double points.

The 2014 championship might not be over yet.

RACE PREVIEW:

Mercedes will be looking to continue their dominance of the season with a win at the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix in Spa. Join The Roar for a live blog and commentary of the race at 10:00pm (AEST).

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After a four week mid-season break, Mercedes showed no signs of holiday mode, as they dominated qualifying last night.

In wet conditions at the historic circuit, Rosberg and Hamilton dominated the session, to take the front row for the race today.

They were almost two seconds quicker than Sebastian Vettel who finished in third in his Red Bull.

The duo look unbeatable compared to the rest of the field.

This sets up the battle between the two that hasn’t happened over the last few rounds.

Problems to Hamilton in qualifying, and problems to Rosberg in the race, have prevented the duo from battling each other for the race win and the championship.

Today provides a big chance for them to battle.

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Just 11 points separate the duo in the championship and a win to Hamilton – who is second – would reduce the gap to four points.

The relationship has become a little frosty between the two in the last few rounds so fireworks could certainly happen tonight.

For the other drivers they will be hoping for that, or for Mercedes to run into trouble tonight with the weather or a mechanical issue.

The weather looks better for tonight’s race but there is a chance of rain during the Grand Prix. These scenarios look to provide the best chance for someone else to win the race tonight.

It may sound harsh, and a little bit unfair to the other drivers, but Mercedes have been extremely quick compared to the rest of the field this weekend.

It looks like the rest of the field are battling for the final podium position if the Mercedes drivers don’t run into trouble.

If that is the case, it looks to be a battle between Ferrari, Red Bull and Williams, for that final spot. If it is wet then Williams will struggle to get that final spot.

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Their advantage is speed and if it rains then they can’t utilise that speed. This will help the Ferrari and the Red Bull drivers who can take more speed into the corners than the Williams cars.

With plenty of high speed corners at the track, it will suit the other two teams better than the Williams. If it is dry then watch out for the Williams cars.

With the circuit being a high speed circuit, the Williams cars have a huge advantage, as they are one of the fastest cars on the grid.

With DRS, and a good top speed, they will be hard to defend against tonight.

Predicting who will finish third, and maybe higher, is a tough task. Valteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso, Vettel, and Daniel Ricciardo all have good claims to do well tonight.

All of them have had solid results this season. Only one of them, Ricciardo, has won a race this year.

His strategies in races have been first class this year and it has helped him significantly this year. Ricciardo’s driving has also been outstanding and he deserves to be in 3rd position in the championship.

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It will be fascinating battle between the three teams, and the four drivers, for the final spot on the podium.

It could be higher if Mercedes fail to finish first and second but they look hard to beat tonight.

It could be one of the races of the season if Hamilton and Rosberg have a cracking battle for the win tonight.

It could also be a significant day in the championship.

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