Kalema Lawrence
Lewis Hamilton went to the Belgian Grand Prix with a mission, he looked like a man on one all weekend, and he completed it with a much-needed victory from pole position on Sunday.
It was exactly what he needed, but while the satisfaction he gained from it was clear on his face afterwards, so too was the realization of the difficulty of the battle ahead.
This was no cruise to the flag for Hamilton. He was under intense pressure from Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel throughout. He held on, by a whisker, in a race full of deep tension rather than excitement.
The win was crucial. Had Vettel passed Hamiton on either of the two occasions on which the Ferrari got a run on the Mercedes through Eau Rouge and up the long Kemmel straight, Vettel would be heading into Ferrari’s home race in Italy next weekend with a 21-point lead rather than seven. Coming back from that would have been difficult for Hamilton. So he knew it.
