Sebastian Vettel on his way to victory at Spa Francorchamps.
Sebastian Vettel on his way to victory at Spa Francorchamps.

Vettel wins the Belgian Grand Prix to extend title lead



Sebastian Vettelmoved a step closer to retaining his Formula One drivers' title as he won the Belgian Grand Prix.

The German's seventh win of the season, ahead of his Red Bull Racing teammate Mark Webber, and Jenson Button's McLaren-Mercedes, leaves him 92 points ahead with seven races left of the championship.

The race at Spa-Francorchamps was full of overtaking as the teams struggled with tyre degradation after having little dry running in practice due to wet weather.

Vettel was passed on the opening lap by Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes GP, but retook the lead easily on lap three.

He dropped back down to eighth after an early pit stop, but regained the lead when Fernando Alonso pitted in his Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton's dreams of a second successive win in Belgium were shattered when he crashed out on lap 13 after colliding with Kamui Kobayashi's Sauber as he looked to complete an overtaking move at Les Combes.

This brought out the safety car and Vettel dropped to third after pitting. He passed Webber and Alonso immediately after the restart and even though he had to do the last stint of the race on hard tyres, he cruised home to triumph.

Webber and Button both charged through the field after making early pit stops, and both passed Alonso, who had to settle for fourth, in the final 10 laps.

The Mercedes pair of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg completed the top six.

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Winners

Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski

Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)

Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea

Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona

Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)

Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)

Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)

Best National Team of the Year: Italy 

Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello

Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)

Player Career Award: Ronaldinho


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