[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ewis Hamilton celebrated his 200th Formula One race on Sunday with a pole-to-flag Belgian Grand Prix victory for Mercedes that halved Sebastian Vettel’s championship lead to seven points.
The Briton’s fifth success in 12 races came a day after he equaled Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 68 pole positions.
Vettel finished second for Ferrari, 2.3 seconds behind, after making a strong start and tailing the triple world champion all afternoon without being able to get close enough to make a move stick.
Australian Daniel Ricciardo took third place for Red Bull after a storming re-start following a late safety car period that had closed the gap to the frontrunners.
With eight races remaining, four-times champion Vettel has 220 points and Hamilton 213. (Reuters)
