After a strong qualifying performance from Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Brendon Hartley, the race proved to be a disappointment for him finishing in 14th position overall.
“I’m not happy with how today’s race went,” commented Hartley. “I had a couple of good battles on track, but it wasn’t easy out there. I was right behind Daniel on the exit of Turn 1 which would have shaped up to be OK, but then he had contact with Kimi and he lost his wing.
“I got stuck behind and then both the Williams and a Sauber ended up passing me before Eau Rouge, so I lost out in the mix of the first corner scrap and my race wasn’t looking too good at that point. We went really long on our first stint to help the other car to consolidate a points finish, as we knew points were out of reach for me.
“We ran a different strategy to Pierre’s car and started on the harder compound which we knew would be tricky for Turn 1, but it made sense to split strategies. I’m happy as it’s a quick turnaround before Monza.”
Finishing ninth overall, team mate Pierre Gasly felt the opposite to Hartley.
“I’m really happy to score points today! It was supposed to be a difficult weekend for us on a track like this, and to end up with two points is really positive. The race itself was actually quite calm for me, I started in 10th position and overtook Daniel and Kimi on the inside of Turn 1 which put me in eighth.
“A few laps later Valtteri passed me but we knew there wasn’t much we could do about that, so I just pushed as much as I could. In the end we finished in P9, so it’s really satisfying. The car felt great all weekend and Honda did a really good job, we definitely made the most out of our package this weekend. We will try and do the same in Monza in a few days, another track that on paper does not suit our car, but It’s our home race and I will give it all to get the best possible result.”
Franz Tost (Team Principal) reflects on the weekend:
“Heading into this weekend we knew Spa would be a tough race for us as it’s a track that does not suit our car. Therefore, we are really happy to score some points with Pierre finishing ninth. We also had a decent day yesterday as our cars Qualified in 11th and 12th position.
“At the start of the race, we were quite lucky to avoid the heavy accident at the first corner, fortunately for us we came out without receiving any damage, and it was good to see the drivers involved in the crash walk away without injury.
“Pierre had a really good start, followed by an equally good race; he controlled his speed from the beginning onwards and managed the tyres well, deserving to finish P9.
“for Brendon, he was a little bit unlucky at the beginning when he lost a couple of positions at the first corner after the crash. He started on the Soft while Pierre was on the Supersoft, so they started on alternate strategies.
“The Supersoft worked better than expected which meant we could extend the stint before going on the Softs, with which he finished the race without any trouble. In the end, we scored two points which are very important for the Constructors’ Championship. Next stop: our home race in Italy!”
Race results
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 44 1h23m34.476s
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 44 11.061s
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Renault 44 31.372s
4 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 44 1m08.605s
5 Sergio Perez Force India/Mercedes 44 1m11.023s
6 Esteban Ocon Force India/Mercedes 44 1m19.520s
7 Romain Grosjean Haas/Ferrari 44 1m25.953s
8 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 44 1m27.639s
9 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso/Honda 44 1m45.892s
10 Marcus Ericsson Sauber/Ferrari 43 1 Lap
11 Carlos Sainz Renault 43 1 Lap
12 Sergey Sirotkin Williams/Mercedes 43 1 Lap
13 Lance Stroll Williams/Mercedes 43 1 Lap
14 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso/Honda 43 1 Lap
15 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren/Renault 43 1 Lap
– Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull/Renault 28 Accident
– Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 8 Accident
– Fernando Alonso McLaren/Renault 0 Collision
– Charles Leclerc Sauber/Ferrari 0 Collision
– Nico Hulkenberg Renault 0 Collision
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