Ayrton Senna was a renowned master of Spa, winning at the legendary circuit five times, so where better for Lewis Hamilton to equal the three-time world champion’s podium tally than at the Belgian track.
Race winner Ayrton Senna celebrates his victory on the podium. Belgian Grand Prix, Spa, 25 August 1991
Hamilton now has as many Grand Prix podium finishes as Ayrton Senna, his childhood hero - 80
Hamilton’s sixth win of the season – the 39th of his career and his second victory at Spa – moved him on to 80 podium finishes, and lifted him to joint fourth in the all-time rankings. Only Michael Schumacher (155), Alain Prost (106) and Fernando Alonso (97) have stood on an F1 rostrum more times than the Briton.
Nico Rosberg crossed the line two seconds back from Hamilton to complete Mercedes’ seventh one-two of the season, and ensure the Briton only extended his championship lead by seven points. Rosberg now has 36 Grand Prix podiums to his name, drawing him level with two-time world champion Graham Hill for joint 22nd on the all-time list. The German also collected his third fastest lap of the season, meaning he now has just one fewer than Hamilton in 2015.
Behind the Silver Arrows there were tears of joy as Romain Grosjean collected his - and Lotus’s - first podium finish since the 2013 United States Grand Prix. The Frenchman, who hadn’t had so much as a top six finish since that race in Austin, has now scored ten career rostrum finishes - the eighth most of any current driver.
Of course, for a long time it looked like Sebastian Vettel - celebrating his 150th Grand Prix start - would score his eighth podium of the season, but in the end he trailed home in 12th after a dramatic late-race tyre failure. That meant that the German’s points streak was snapped at 21 races, just six short of team mate Kimi Raikkonen’s all-time record.
Max Verstappen (NDL) Scuderia Toro Rosso STR10 at the start of the race at Formula One World Championship, Rd11, Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Spa Francorchamps, Belgium, Sunday 23 August 2015.
After finishing fourth in Hungary, Max Verstappen came home eighth in Belgium to record his first ever back-to-back points finishes
Speaking of Raikkonen, the Finn ensured Ferrari picked up a handful of points on the occasion of their 900th Grand Prix, though seventh place represents the lowest he has finished when he's reached the chequered flag in Spa.
Elsewhere Daniil Kvyat’s fourth place enabled him to leapfrog Red Bull team mate Daniel Ricciardo in the drivers’ standings for the first time this season. The Russian, who has recorded three top-five finishes in 2015, has 57 points to Ricciardo’s 51. Sergio Perez meanwhile followed up his season-best fifth in qualifying with fifth in the race – also a season high.
Further back, Belgian-born Max Verstappen built upon his fourth place in Hungary with a spirited eighth in Spa – the first time he has scored back-to-back points finishes in his career. That feat was matched by Marcus Ericsson, who finished tenth (after coming home tenth in Hungary).
Finally, McLaren’s run of points finishes was halted at two races as Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button languished in 13th and 14th, one lap down on race winner Lewis Hamilton. That’s only the fourth time in the Woking team’s history - and the first time since 1998 - that they’ve failed to get either car into the points at Spa, a track on which they’ve recorded 12 wins, including their very first in 1968.
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