
Tuesday 1st august 2017 Charles Leclerc is the fastest at the end of the first test day at Hungaroring circuit. For the Ferrari Drivers Academy pilot and current GP2 leader the total number of laps covered at the wheel of the SF70H are 98, in the hellish heat of the Magyar track, with a final time of 1'17"746 on soft tyres. But for Leclerc, the chronometer response isn’t the most important thing of the day.
"Driving a Ferrari is never a normal experience. I felt like it was the first time I had ever driven a racing car. It's a great honor that I've been given, and I thank Ferrari with all my heart for this opportunity. I'm happy with the work I've done and I hope the team is too. Driving the SF70H has given me fantastic sensations, for me coming from GP2 it is another world, in all aspects. It was the first time I drove an F1 with wide tyres and this aerodynamic load, it was an incredible feeling. The work in the pits has also made me grow: at Ferrari there are the best engineers in the world and I got on very well with them. The best time is a satisfaction, but in testing it is of relative importance. I can go on holiday happy, but now I want to concentrate on the second part of the GP2 season. Formula 1 is just a dream for now. I still have to work, I know: one step at a time".
Test at Ferrari will continue with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen. Behind Leclerc, with a time of 0.088 seconds more, follows Stoffel Vandoorne in the McLaren. Third time for Valtteri Bottas, who covered 155 laps running a dedicated program for Pirelli. The Finnish set a time just under a second behind the Ferrari. Next up is Mercedes junior team driver George Russell. Also for him over 100 laps and 0.5 seconds behind the official Mercedes driver. Lance Stroll in the Williams is fifth. Next up is Force India test driver Nikita Mazepin. Seventh the Renault tester, Nicholas Latifi, then the Indonesian F2 driver Sean Gelael, with the Toro Rosso. Lucas Auer, DTM protagonist, who made his debut in F1, set the ninth best time. Tenth is the American driver Santino Ferrucci with Haas. Only eleventh Max Verstappen, struggling with technical problems with his Red Bull. Then the Swedish GP2 driver, Gustav Malja, making his debut behind the wheel of an F1 with Sauber. Wednesday 2nd August 2017 Sebastian Vettel closes the second day of F1 testing in Budapest by setting the fastest time. In the 47 laps completed, the German of Ferrari confirms himself as the fastest with a time of 1 '17"124 recorded in the morning, ahead of Lando Norris (McLaren) and Kimi Räikkönen, who, however, reduce the gap to 0.261 and 0.718 seconds respectively. Robert Kubica shows great growth: from seventh to fourth place on the day with Renault, the Polish driver - who hasn't driven in Formula 1 for six and a half years - runs a total of 142 laps, lapping in 1'18''572 and preceding the Toro Rosso of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Daniil Kvyat. At the Hungaroring Luca Ghiotto also showed himself off: the Italian, making his debut with Williams, completed more laps than anyone else (an impressive 161), setting the 11th best time. Sebastian Vettel climbed into the SF70H at 9:00 a.m. and then gave way to Kimi Räikkönen after a couple of hours, so that the Finnish driver could continue his work. The German completed 47 laps, while the Finns ended the day by completing another 60 laps. Now it is time to enjoy a well-deserved rest during the two-week break.
"We don't do many tests during the season, so this was a good opportunity to try a couple of things and understand the car. Obviously during such a short test you don't expect to do much, but it will be useful for the next races and to understand the car better. I think we've been very strong everywhere this year; certainly there have been races where we haven't performed at our best and for sure there will always be differences from track to track, but the aim of all the work we do is to be in good shape for the rest of the season. The win in Hungary put us back on a positive phase. Now it's up to us to continue like this, but I'm confident that we have the right people and that we are going in the right direction. As for my holidays, I haven't made many plans and I think I'll rest after so many plane trips".
And Kimi Räikkönen says:
"We always bring something different, no matter where we are, and we try to learn. We got good results as a team here in Hungary, but we always strive to improve".

He adds:
"Today was a normal test day, but of course here you have more time and more tyres available than on a race weekend, so we work to make the most of it. In the last few races the feeling with the car has improved steadily, which shows that the new things we have brought in have helped me to drive better and better. Also, I'm happy to have helped Charles Leclerc prepare for his test, but it's fair to say that the whole team supported him".
Now it’s certain, Robert Kubica is back in Formula 1:
"People think you can only improve only by driving, actually you can also improve thinking about where you can improve".
Six years after the accident that knocked him out of the 2011 championship (and almost costed him his life), the Polish driver, probably the most talented of his generation - the same as Alonso - and certainly one of the most intelligent, returned yesterday morning to drive a single-seater in an official session. The accident happened on 6 February 2011, during the Rally Ronde di Andora, in the province of Savona. Hospitalized in a near-death condition at the Santa Corona hospital in Pietra Ligure, Kubica had a seven-hour surgery: the beginning of a long and bumpy road during which doctors managed to save his right leg and, partially, his right arm. In 2014, surprisingly, the driver announced his participation in the World Rally Championship, and with a Citroen adapted to his new physical condition, he won the WRC-2 title. But Rallying couldn't be enough for him, not for someone with his determination and passion for racing (at the age of 14, alone in Italy, he slept in a garage to race karts) and so he kept working to get a chance in Formula 1 again. An opportunity that finally arrived.
"This wasn’t an easy day. But it has been a driving lesson and, above all, a life lesson".
Which for him are unique. To understand: the bet is to drive an F1 single-handedly on an equal level with the best drivers in the world. On Wednesday he did this for 140 laps, practically twice the distance covered by Vettel in the race, and also set the fourth best time of the day. All this in 40 °C temperatures.
"Compared to when I used to race, nothing is the same except for the steering wheel. Actually, not even that".
Now, the future: the fans - nearly 10.000 coming from Poland - want him back in a single-seater, maybe in Renault instead of Palmer.
"The only plan I have for the moment is to return home after the tests".
Knowing him, you can be sure that he will never come back to be a freak, but only if he is certain that he is on an equal level with the others.
While waiting to better understand what the future holds for him, the life lesson remains:
"In the last six years I went through several delicate periods. In the end, the chance I had today taught me that everything can happen: in the last four months so many things have happened, I have improved a lot and I have continued with the physical preparation as never before. For the rest, we will see what happens".

In a moment of the F1 season when the engines - and the entire teams - stop for the summer break, rumors are emerging from England about Honda's efforts to seek alternatives to McLaren for the supply of its power units. Yusuke Hasegawa, head of the F1 program for Honda, had already declared that he was still looking for a second team to supply engines to after contacts with Sauber stopped, either to get more feedback on track and with different single-seaters, or to create a sort of alternative should relations with McLaren deteriorate definitively after the results well below expectations this year. The latest rumors speak of a deadlock, if not an outright failure to reach an agreement, even regarding contacts with Toro Rosso to supply the Honda power units. For the team from Faenza, it would have been the third different engine in three seasons (now Renault, while in 2016 it used Ferrari engines) but after several weeks the negotiations would have stalled due to pure financial issues. It is no mystery that what makes the Japanese power units attractive is above all the substantial financial contribution that Honda manages to guarantee. Also because so far they haven't shown enough performance or reliability to tip the scales in the right direction. In the meantime, on Wednesday 23rd August McLaren is exercising its option on Stoffel Vandoorne whereby the Belgian driver will be one of the Woking team's two drivers also in 2018, with an appropriate adjustment of the financial compensation. At the moment, the team doesn't know which power unit it will mount next year: the push is on to change in 2018, renouncing the Honda to switch to the Renault engine, even if from an economic point of view the operation would be very costly because Honda's support would be lost and wouldn't be covered by a new sponsor. Now it remains to be seen whether Fernando Alonso will be willing to remain with McLaren: in the paddock there is betting that he could stay if there is a switch to the Renault engine, while he could change air if the team remains tied to Honda. It is precisely Honda that will bring to Belgium a series of updates to the McLaren power unit. These novelties are only present on the single-seater of Stoffel Vandoorne. While Mercedes will mount the fourth thermal engine of the season for both drivers. The new engine is expected to provide 15 more horsepower. This new version will only be mounted on the official cars, and not on customer cars. The FIA stipulates that this new version of the engine will also have to comply with oil consumption regulations, which will come into force from the Monza Grand Prix. Ahead of the restart of the World Championship, with the Belgian Grand Prix on Tuesday 22 August 2017, Ferrari renews its technical and racing collaboration agreement with Kimi Räikkönen.
"In the coming racing season, the Finnish driver will therefore be involved in the F1 World Championship with the Maranello team".
The Finnish driver is fifth in the World Championship standings with 116 points, and is - at the moment - the last to have won the drivers' title with Ferrari (in 2007). In Formula 1 Räikkönen has raced 263 Grands Prix collecting 20 victories and 17 pole positions.
Formula 1 returns after the summer break and Ferrari at the Spa circuit in Belgium will aim to stretch its lead over Mercedes. The team from Maranello arrives in the Ardennes on the strength of the one-two in Hungary: Sebastian Vettel first and Kimi Räikkönen able to control the attacks of the Mercedes. Fresh from his contract renewal, the ice-cold Finn, for once, is letting himself go:
"I feel good here, I wouldn't have signed if I wasn't happy and obviously the team sees it the same way. I consider this the most beautiful place and as long as racing is the most important thing it's fine. As long as I feel I can win races and aim for the world championship I will keep racing, when I don't feel it anymore I will stop".
Kimi confirms the good relationship with Sebastian Vettel.
"We work very well together and within the whole team there is a very good working relationship. However, I don’t decide who stays and who goes, but I hope everything remains as it’s now, because everything would be perfect".

Räikkönen achieved good results before the break and is convinced he can do better in the second part of the season, which kicks off with the Belgian Grand Prix.
"It will depend on various things. We want to do well and improve, because there are always areas where we can do better: we will try to gain speed. Lately it has been better and I have felt comfortable doing things the way I like it. I'm confident that we are doing the right things and getting to where we want to be. I am here to win the race, because you are happy if you win, a little less if you finish second or third".
On Friday 25th August 2017, during the first practice session, Kimi Räikkönen set the fastest time, beating Lewis Hamilton by 0.062 seconds. The Finnish driver manages this by using Ultrasoft tyres, unlike the British driver, who runs on Soft tyres. Among other things, the Ferrari driver misses part of the session due to a suspension problem. In third place is the other Ferrari driver, Sebastian Vettel, also on Soft tyres. He is followed in fourth and fifth place by the two Red Bull Racing drivers. The other Mercedes driver, Valtteri Bottas, sets the sixth best time, before going off the track in order to avoid a collision with another car. The car is repaired in time to allow the Finnish driver to run a race simulation. Felipe Massa also goes off the track, at the Malmedy corner, seriously damaging his Williams. In fact, the team is forced to change the car's bodywork. Three drivers test the Halo protection device: Lewis Hamilton, Marcus Ericsson and Stoffel Vandoorne. In the second practice session it is, instead, Lewis Hamilton who sets the fastest time. This happens before the end of the session, as rain soaks the track at the end. The British driver, using Ultrasoft tyres, comes close to the track record, while lowering his morning time by only 0.8 seconds. Kimi Räikkönen follows in second place, less than 0.3 seconds behind, while Valtteri Bottas is third. In fourth place is Max Verstappen, while Sebastian Vettel climbs to fifth. The German is, however, the author of an interesting race simulation. Felipe Massa doesn't take part in the session, due to his mechanics' need to repair his single-seater. The rain drips down on the Ardennes forest, the more than seven kilometers of asphalt on the Spa circuit abuse this swollen and masterful nature by squeezing through the conifers. In Belgium, the air becomes steamy, and behind the ghosts.
Formula 1's summer break, four weeks after the last Hungarian Grand Prix, finally comes to an end on this pre-autumn day outside where everything starts again and everything is over: the flowery shirts and salsa dancing in Cuba by Lewis Hamilton, the dinners at Sebastian Vettel's home in Switzerland with his wife and daughters, Emilie and Matilda. The two contenders for the world title, different in every way, were obviously different in their holidays too. The English exposed to the sun, sponsors, humanitarian initiatives and any internet window, the German hidden from everything and especially from social media. Divided in everything. On the other hand, they make no secret of their mutual distance. Seb's now notorious hit in Baku, Lewis' statements in Belgium about the couple's non-compatibility. There aren't symbols in the forest of their relationship. Precisely in Belgium, the precarious balance between the two risks slipping on an oil slick: Hamilton's Mercedes surprisingly homologated the fourth engine available in the season (any subsequent ones will incur penalties), Vettel's Ferrari remains with the third. Mercedes' choice was smart, some say unfair: from the next Italian Grand Prix the limit that the Federation has imposed on the teams on the use of oil will come into force: no more than 0.9 liters per 100 km can be consumed compared to the current 1.2, while from the 2018 World Championship the limit will be lowered to 0.6 liters. A technical directive that the FIA issued at the end of July ensuring that no team would homologate a new power unit before the Italian race, despite the fact that doing so wasn't forbidden. A time limit and a pact given for agreement that the Anglo-German team has evidently, though legitimately, disregarded, preferring the advantage of having more oil to burn and therefore better performance until the end of the season than an engine to develop with more time. A move that has left the other teams, who trusted the Federation's assurances, unsettled and that will now force them to review their development plans.

Ferrari, which isn't commenting on the choice of rivals nor on the FIA directive, will have to calibrate where, how and when to take to the track with the fourth engine (perhaps in Malaysia), which will in any case be depowered compared to that of the rivals: there is talk of an evolution with around fifteen more horsepower than the previous one, but some sources even speak of double that. While waiting to find out when the new engine will be used, with three lines left, the agreement between Vettel and Ferrari, who remain together until 2020, is sealed. After months of rumors, negotiations, talks and soundings of the ground and the market, the Maranello team closes the deal with the German for another three years.
"Scuderia Ferrari has extended the technical-sports agreement with driver Sebastian Vettel for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 Formula 1 World Championship seasons".
So, a few days after the renewing the contract of his second driver, the Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen cheered by his teammate, also the four times World Champion decided to tie his future with the Maranello team.
An announcement that was expected in Monza or soon after: repeatedly urged on the subject, Vettel had postponed his answer, repeating that the priority for him and the team was to concentrate on the current world championship, which in fact is proving him right: in the drivers' championship he leads by 14 points over Hamilton. But in reality, in the meantime, the German was looking around, obviously directing the attention, reciprocated, of his Mercedes rivals, as the non-executive director, Niki Lauda, also confirmed immediately after the renewal was made official:
"I can't deny that we talked with Sebastian, but Ferrari being more competitive made the desire to leave the Prancing Horse team less. So we stopped immediately a couple of months ago. I think every driver, if he's smart, talks to more than one team, and when he has to close a deal he can start from a better position. And so it was…".
Vettel seemed to want to sign a contract only for 2018 with Ferrari so as to be free for the following season when the agreements of many top drivers and especially Lewis Hamilton whose contract expires in 2018 will come into play. The two together, in the same team, are incompatible, neither of them is hiding this and the British driver himself said so explicitly in the days leading up to the race ("I don't think Seb wants to come here with me, he wouldn't get the same treatment he gets in Ferrari"), alluding to the fact that he couldn't be considered as the team's first driver. Now also Mercedes will in all likelihood extend with Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, who replaced retired World Champion Nico Rosberg this year. Having thus closed the market investigation, Vettel's lawyer has met with Ferrari's: together until 2020, the year in which the Formula 1 of the future will be again discussed with new rules and set-ups. The salary, according to the German media, would be around 120.000.000 euros or at least 30.000.000 euros per year. With this negotiation also concluded, on Saturday, 26 August 2017, during the third and final practice session, Kimi Räikkönen sets the best time, also achieving the track record, with a time 0.4 seconds less than the previous limit. Sebastian Vettel scores a second place, edging out Lewis Hamilton by just 0.001 seconds. Valtteri Bottas scores the fifth best time, penalized by some driving errors. Daniil Kvyat runs into problems with the power unit of his STR, stopped along the Kemmel straight. As a result of the engine change, the Russian will be penalized with the loss of 20 grid positions. Stoffel Vandoorne also preferred to discard the evolved power unit, used in the first two sessions, and return to the old version. As a result of these changes, the Belgian driver sees an increase in the number of penalty places on the grid, now up to 45. Felipe Massa is also penalized with the loss of five grid positions, as well as losing three points on his super license, for ignoring the double yellow flags displayed when Daniil Kvyat stopped.

The weather is mild when qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix begins. First on track is Lewis Hamilton, who sets the fastest time. The Ferrari and Mercedes drivers are the only ones to face Q1 on Supersoft tyres, as everyone else opts to use Ultrasoft tyres. The drivers from these two teams, along with those from Red Bull Racing, are the ones who take the top six positions, although Kimi Räikkönen complains that he feels strong vibrations coming from his single-seater. The fight for qualification to the next stage is intense. Fernando Alonso takes advantage of the slipstream given to him by his team-mate, Stoffel Vandoorne, along the Kemmel straight, thus setting a time that guarantees him passage to Q2. The two Sauber and Williams drivers and Daniil Kvyat are eliminated. In Q2 Lewis Hamilton immediately sets a record lap, followed by Kimi Räikkönen, while further behind are Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel. At this stage Ferrari and Mercedes also opt to use Ultrasoft tyres, which becomes the type of tyre that will be compulsorily used at the start. Hamilton made one more attempt, in which he again broke the track record, while Alonso, although still favored by his teammate's slipstream, was eliminated by 0.09 seconds. In addition to the Spaniard, and his teammate, the two Haas drivers and Carlos Sainz Jr. don't make it into Q3. The decisive phase opened with an oil leak on the car of Jolyon Palmer, who was thus forced to abandon qualifying. Kimi Räikkönen takes the lead in the time classification, before being overtaken by Lewis Hamilton, who continues to lower the track limit. Valtteri Bottas is 0.5 seconds behind his team-mate, while Max Verstappen, fourth, overtakes Sebastian Vettel. In the last attempt, Kimi Räikkönen makes a mistake and decides to not close the lap, favoring with his slipstreams the arrival of Sebastian Vettel, who takes the second place, behind Lewis Hamilton. The British takes pole position number 68, equaling Michael Schumacher's record. At the end of the practice Jolyon Palmer is penalized with the loss of five grid positions, for changing his gearbox. The same fate also befalls Pascal Wehrlein. Lewis as Michael: pole position number 68 for Hamilton, like Schumacher. Precisely at Spa, where the German seven-time World Champion won his first Grand Prix. It was Liberty Media's sporting general manager Ross Brawn himself who brought the British driver a message from Schumacher's family:
"I have to convey the congratulations of wife Corinna and family for equaling the number of starts from the front row by Michael who always said that records are there to be broken".
Lewis, who had earlier parked his car and knelt beside it, stroking its front end, replied:
"This is one of my favorite circuits, to come here and do a lap like this is a dream. I have done the best job in the world. It's a very special day, I joined a legend like Schumacher. For me it is a real privilege and an honor. I thank the family and I can only continue to pray for Michael, I've always admired him and I still do, to be up there with him is unbelievable".
Sebastian Vettel congratulates his rival.
"I’m proud to be part of the Ferrari Family".
Qualifying showed a powerful Mercedes with its number four engine, homologated at Spa amid some controversy. But Ferrari is close behind, with the number three engine and the number one driver at the moment, as Sebastian Vettel managed to stay behind Lewis Hamilton in the last run with an incredible lap, even if helped by his team mate, Kimi Räikkönen, whom he publicly thanks.
"The right lap came at the right time. I had a good feeling in Q1, then I lost that feeling a little bit. I had some problems in the fast corners. In Q3 I felt the car lighter, but I also had luck from my friend Kimi who gave me a slipstream and got me past Bottas. The team did a good job, it's a good position, I look forward to tomorrow's race. Mercedes are fast but so are we".

All three drivers present at the press conference (the third being Valtteri Bottas) are asked for special memories, thoughts, personal experiences about Michael Schumacher. Lewis Hamilton says:
"I just have to say thank you for the message I got, I always pray for the family and for him as I always have done. I have always admired Michael, to have achieved his pole record is an honor, he will always be the greatest or at least one of the greatest".
Sebastian Vettel adds:
"German both of us, I was a kid when I started following him. Even just seeing him and shaking his hand was crazy for me. My hero".
Of many: in the stands at Spa, there are many with a flag bearing an image of Schumacher. Waving and fighting, still. It staggered in his chest, the sound of Michael Schumacher's car. Lewis Hamilton was eleven years old and on that day in 1996 he had no idea that he would fill Michael's silence here at Spa:
"I was in Belgium watching my first Grand Prix. I was watching Michael going through Turn 1. The engine was vibrating so hard I could feel it in my ribcage. Now I come back here and I'm on pole with the record. Surreal".
It isn't so much the equaled record of 68 starts from the front row, never anyone like the two of them. Lewis would have achieved it sooner or later. But that the historic circle has closed here, in what he himself describes as an unusual place, is unreal. Life is attracted by coincidences. At Spa too, presence coincides with absence: Schumacher’s face printed on flags flies in the Ardennes forest where the German champion won his first race. His son Mick parades in the 1994 Benetton with which his father won the first of seven world titles. Everyone remembers smiling, but it is the fear of saying it that you feel: Michael has been asleep since 2013 after a skiing accident in Meribel, and won't wake up.
"I always pray for him and his family".
Said Hamilton wiping his eyes after F1 sporting director Ross Brawn delivered the congratulatory message from Schumacher's wife Corinna.
"I have always admired him and I admire him. I had the privilege of racing with him from his karting days on the track in his hometown of Kerpen. And to have achieved his record, right here, is incredible, a dream. He will always be one of the greatest of all time. A special day".
The memory of Michael Schumacher holds the two current World Championship rivals together. Says Sebastian Vettel:
"I grew up watching his races, even in video games I wanted his profile, especially in the Ferrari years. Once in Abu Dhabi, just before he left, I had the courage to ask him to swap helmets with me and he did. It's one of the most precious objects I have in my house".
In his father's name. Mick is blond, has a few 18-year-old pimples, very clear eyes. Shy, immature, dry of words like Dad. An enormous and tiring inheritance falls to him, to the young Schumacher.

At Spa he climbs into the 1994 Benetton B194, green and blue, in which Michael won the first of his seven world titles. It is the day to do it: the first F1 success is celebrated in Belgium.
"There is a bit of oversteer, I should work on that. It was great, a fantastic experience. To be able to drive here was incredible".
Mick parks his car under the finish line, gets out, raises his arms to the full stands, takes the applause. He is a driver too, in GP3, in the ranking he is eleventh.
"I hope to make it to Formula 1 one day, and I will do everything I can to do so".
He takes off his helmet, which has a double livery. On the right half are his colors, the ones he is racing in the European competition. On the left half a graphic used by his father in 1994. He is accompanied by his manager and family spokeswoman, Sabine Kehm, from the media.
"This car has a lot of history. I didn't hesitate for a moment to agree to do it when I was told I could. I am proud to have done it. It had never happened to me to drive in front of such a big crowd. Of course, driving this car was a bit different from what I'm used to".
He is used to a huge example, a father like that, not waking up from his skiing accident in Meribel in 2013.
"What did I learn from him? So many things. If we look at his career, everyone can learn. I will try to do the same. I am proud of him. He is the best".
On Sunday, 27 August 2017, at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton fends off Sebastian Vettel's overtaking attempt, while Valtteri Bottas keeps Kimi Räikkönen behind. The two Red Bull Racing cars then followed. Further behind Sergio Pérez squeezes team-mate Esteban Ocon towards the wall on the descent to Eau Rouge: the two come into contact, but both manage to continue without damage to the car. At the Bus Stop chicane Nico Hülkenberg passes Fernando Alonso for seventh place. The Spaniard, however, overtook the Renault driver on the next lap on the Kemmel straight; Ocon also tried to take advantage, but without success. In the following laps McLaren's lack of power forced Alonso to lose several positions, eventually dropping to eleventh place. Lap 7 sees the end of the race for Max Verstappen, with a power unit problem; race officials show the double yellow flags, but these are ignored by Räikkönen, who has to overtake Verstappen stationary on the track. Despite this he suffers a 10-second Stop&Go penalty. On lap 10 Esteban Ocon, Romain Grosjean and Fernando Alonso make a pit stop. Between laps 12 and 13 Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas also make a pit stop. Then, on lap 14 it's Sebastian Vettel's turn as Lewis Hamilton passes Kimi Räikkönen and moves back into first, taking advantage of the Ferrari German's stop. Räikkönen pits on lap 15. The standings revert to what they were before the series of stops, with Lewis Hamilton ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Räikkönen, Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hülkenberg. Shortly afterwards Räikkönen served his penalty, returning to the track seventh, ahead of the two Force India drivers. On lap 25 Kimi Räikkönen passes Nico Hülkenberg, while the two Force India drivers collide again on the Eau Rouge descent: Sergio Pérez damages a tyre, while Esteban Ocon loses part of his nose. The race management therefore sends the Safety car onto the track. All the drivers take advantage of the neutralization period to make a stop and the classification remains, in fact, unchanged. The two Ferrari drivers mount Ultrasoft tyres, while the Mercedes drivers opt for a set of Soft tyres. At the restart Sebastian Vettel attacks Lewis Hamilton at the Radillon, but without having the cue to pass the Briton. Behind, however, Valtteri Bottas is overtaken by Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Räikkönen, thus slipping to fifth place. In the final laps Sebastian Vettel tries to get closer to Lewis Hamilton, but never manages to trouble him.

Lewis Hamilton wins the Belgian Grand Prix, followed by Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Kimi Räikkönen, Valtteri Bottas, Nico Hülkenberg, Romain Grosjean, Felipe Massa, Esteban Ocon and Carlos Sainz Jr. Lewis slammed his gloves down before standing on the podium, then nodded his head during the anthem. A joy full of anger and pressure that evaporates along with the champagne down on the fans. Hamilton wins the Belgian Grand Prix, the twelfth of the season: the Mercedes British driver halves the gap to his Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel from 14 to 7 points, leaving the German in second place. Third and on his sixth podium of the season, without much fuss, is Red Bull's Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who first of all sends a greeting (“Thanks to all the Dutch people who came out to cheer”) to his unfortunate team-mate Max Verstappen, forced once again to retire with an engine problem on lap eight. Fourth was the other Ferrari, that of Kimi Räikkönen, who had to serve a 10-second Stop&Go penalty for failing to decelerate under a double yellow flag. While the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas is fifth. Victory number 58 for Lewis, who equals the all-time record of 68 poles as Michael Schumacher. Today a celebration for the seven-time World Champion who won his first Grand Prix here. His son Mick took a lap of honor in the Benetton in which his father won his first world title in 1994. A special day for Lewis, who has many memories of Schumacher and also of his beginnings:
"It was 1996, I was with my dad and we were nobody. Now here I am. Which proves that in life you should never give up".
As he did. Not surprisingly, Lewis Hamilton is closing in on Sebastian Vettel in the F1 World Championship standings.
"Sebastian is a really strong opponent and that is why I am even happier to have won. There are certainly kids here today who have the same dream I had in '96 when I came with my father. My dream was to come back here as a driver and today we put on a fantastic show. That's why I want to tell you that dreams sometimes come true and for that you have to give everything without giving up".
Sebastian Vettel is happy with his second place on a track favorable to Mercedes. The German wasn't able to overtake his rival, despite the pressure applied throughout the race:
"Lap after lap I hoped he would make a mistake but he didn't. Maybe he hoped I did too, but I didn't".
The last chance for overtaking came after the Safety car came out:
"I was afraid I wasn't close enough and instead maybe I was too close to the end of the hill I had to lift my foot a little and got a little planted".
Explains the Ferrari’s Germany driver.
"But we have made good progress and now we look forward to the home race in Monza".
Ferrari team principal, Maurizio Arrivabene, adds:
"It was a good Ferrari. We came here to be the non-favorites and instead we showed that the car was very good on a circuit where we were underdogs. It was a shame that Kimi had some vibration problems, but he did a great overtaking move on the restart. Seb also drove very well. It was close, but we will see you again in front of our home crowd at Monza".
He adds:
"The Red Bull was in a non-dangerous zone and that is a fact, but the yellow flags were there and Kimi had to be careful. It was a very harsh penalty because it's not just about the 10 seconds as you lose more on the way back. Without that penalty it would have been a different Sunday".

On Sunday, September 3, 2017, Ferrari's home Grand Prix will be held at Monza:
"You look race by race and we have to think that this is a very good car and everyone, from the drivers to the team, is committed to going to Monza and making a good impression".
He throws off his gloves in anger, argues with the race direction, accuses the driver of the Safety car. He is angry with the world, Lewis Hamilton, who has just won the Belgian Grand Prix, the day after equaling Michael Schumacher's record 68 poles. Jokes of adrenaline and tension that takes a long time to melt away. Yet it went according to predictions in this race that tests the skill of the drivers and the power of the engines. Mercedes was the favorite, Ferrari was aiming for second place and got it with Sebastian Vettel, everyone happy and content and see everybody in a week in Monza for the last European round. No, too easy. Hamilton led his race number 200 in the lead from the first to the last lap, except for the moment of the pit stops, but in the mirrors he always saw a red spot that never disappeared no matter how hard he pressed on the accelerator. That is why the only hiccup for the British driver, the entry of the Safety car after the incident between the Force India of Perez and Ocon, became a drama in those nervous moments.
"I felt like in a Nascar race, when they occasionally bring in the safety car for no reason at all to see a closer race".
Another grievance:
"The Safety car was going incredibly slowly, so I couldn't get the tyres up to temperature and the rivals were all over me".
When the race resumed, Vettel attacked him immediately and in vain, but at the finish line the German was more than satisfied:
"I was always able to keep up with Lewis's pace, at this point I no longer fear any circuit because I have the better car".
Ferrari had arrived at Spa-Francorchamps with some apprehension: the circuit has similar characteristics to that of Silverstone, where the SF70H had suffered only a month ago. Bringing home second place for Vettel, who crossed the line two seconds behind the winner, and fourth place for Räikkönen, penalized for not respecting the double yellow flags, means having passed the most difficult test. Mercedes, by the way, here in Belgium was using the fourth and latest version of its engine, while Ferrari still has a card to play and could drop it as early as next Sunday at Monza, another track that requires power (but not aerodynamic efficiency, unlike Spa). Hamilton has reduced the gap in the standings to seven points, Vettel, however, wants to immediately re-establish the distances in the home Grand Prix, before flying to Singapore for the most favorable of the seven non-European trips that are missing to the end of the championship. A tough sprint, with no holds barred. The two top teams have been arguing over the so-called oil war: Mercedes will be able to consume more lubricant because they used all four 2017 engines before Monza, while Ferrari will have to cut consumption on the last unit, as decided by the FIA. The role of the second drivers has also been clarified: Kimi has been helping his teammate for some time, Bottas will now also be asked to do so and in return he will get his contract renewed. It is no longer a question of fair play: the most balanced and hard-fought championship of the last five years is at stake.