Ricciardo wins amid more Mercedes drama in Belgian Grand Prix

Red Bull driver ahead of Rosberg as German crashes into Hamilton.

SPA: World championship leader Nico Rosberg was condemned by his team and booed by spectators on Sunday after colliding with Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton on the way to taking second place behind victorious Australian Daniel Ricciardo in Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix.

Team bosses Niki Lauda and Toto Wolff both laid the blame for the second-lap crash that left leader Hamilton with a race-wrecking puncture on Rosberg, who appeared to drive into his teammate’s car.

“Completely unacceptable,” said Wolff. “That was just an unacceptable race. It is unbelievable. You should not crash into your teammate.

“You don’t try to overtake with the knife between your teeth in lap number two and damage both cars. This is a decisive moment in the battle between the two of them and for the team.

“Lewis is very upset, we kept him out there for a long time with a damaged car. He will recover quickly. It’s going to be handled.”

Mercedes team chief Niki Lauda added, “I have apologised to Hamilton; it’s a bad result for both him and the Mercedes team.

Rosberg was booed by fans when he stood on the podium alongside winner Ricciardo and third-placed Finn Valtteri Bottas of Williams.

Rosberg, who now leads Hamilton by 29 points in the title race with seven of this year’s 19 events remaining, said, “I got a good run on Hamilton and tried to go round the outside and we just touched in the end, unfortunately, and it hurt both of our races, but that’s just how it goes.”

Ricciardo basks in fans’ cheers

Ricciardo of Red Bull won with a bold and well-judged drive in a dramatic race that saw Hamilton lead from the start, but fall away and eventually retire after his second-lap puncture.

It was Red Bull’s 50th win in Formula One and a beaming Ricciardo was hailed with cheers.

“This is almost as many Aussie flags as there were in Melbourne!” said Ricciardo.

“So thanks so much. It is a bit different when you lead the race for that long; it’s more about composure and trying to keep steady.”

The damage wrecked Hamilton’s race and may have ruined his title bid with seven of this year’s 19 races remaining.

After struggling to regain his momentum, the 29-year-old Briton retired with four of the 44 laps remaining and leaving Rosberg content to take his first podium finish in Belgium at the eighth attempt. He came 3.3 seconds behind Ricciardo.

Finns Valtteri Bottas of Williams and Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari came home third and fourth ahead of Vettel, Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen and his McLaren teammate Briton Jenson Button who were all engaged in a furious final tussle for positions.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2014.

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