ESPN rounds up the main talking points from the Belgian Grand Prix, which saw Lewis Hamilton win his 200th grand prix and cut the gap to Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel in the championship.
Shock: While Lewis Hamilton was sublime, Valtteri Bottas had a race well off the pace. The Finn had been pipped to second by Sebastian Vettel in qualifying and watched the two main title protagonists disappear into the distance. He was later caught and passed by Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen and had to finish fifth, a result which could well convince Mercedes its time to start favouring Hamilton with Bottas now 42 points behind.
Shocker: Max Verstappen's bad luck this year has been staggering. The teenager was the victim of it again at Spa-Francorchamps, slowing in the opening sector and pulling up on the Kemmel Straight - one of many places with grandstands dominated with Dutch fans who made the short pilgrimage across the boarder.
Verstappen said there "are no words" immediately after his retirement and it's going to be hard for Red Bull to keep the teenager's spirits high when these retirements are becoming such a regular occurrence. Unless they give him a car of championship calibre next season, a long-term Verstappen stay at Red Bull looks less and less likely with each passing week.
Lucky escape: There's already been some flashpoints between the Force India drivers this season and lap one was another. After the field made it through La Source without incident, the pair drove down towards Eau Rouge on the inside of Nico Hulkenberg. With Esteban Ocon's run slightly better than Sergio Perez's he ran down the inside of his teammate -- only for the other pink car to drift across and tap wheels. Ocon was squeezed between Perez's car and the wall but amazingly, somehow, the incident passed without a major crash....
Inevitable clash: ...But, as it turns out, the clash was a sign of things to come. The pair would come together again on lap 29, in almost identical circumstances -- Perez on the outside and squeezing Ocon across into the wall on the run down towards Eau Rogue. This time, the collision cost Ocon a piece of his endplate and gave Perez a puncture. Ocon's radio outburst left no doubt that he blamed his teammate and, having seen replays, he had a point. Force India has to sort this situation out, and fast.
Alonso FM This was another race which saw Fernando Alonso provide entertainment over the radio. The opening laps were frustrating -- the McLaen-Honda was excruciatingly slow on the straights compared to its rivals. After declaring his situation "embarrassing" and saying that it was pointless being told the gaps to other cars, he eventually lost his cool and shouted: "No more radio, the rest of the race!"
Amusing stuff, but another reminder of the dire situation one of the finest driver's of the modern era finds himself in. It's fair to wonder what impact races like this will have over Alonso's 2018 decision....
Overtake of the race: Ricciardo used to have "What would he do?" on the back of his helmet, in reference to the Honey Badger he would have alongside it. A better message should be "Seize the day" -- the Australian has the uncanny ability to make things happen.
At the restart he did it again, moving on the inside of the battling Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas to pass both men at the Les Combes chicane. A tremendous move and one worthy of the final spot on the podium.
Vettel vs Hamilton: This duel gets better and better. The Belgian Grand Prix will not go down as a thriller but this was a great example of two of the best drivers of the modern era, at the height of their talents, driving flat-out for victory in cars both worthy of this year's title. It's a fight we're lucky to be witnessing and if it stays this close all season, both men will deserve to win. Roll on Monza.
Driver of the day: Ricciardo did well to get into P3 in a car which has looked nowhere near Mercedes and Ferrari all weekend. But this is going to go to Hamilton -- it was a masterful, flawless drive under massive pressure throughout from Vettel. The odds appeared to be stacked against him at the end but he held firm decisively for a victory.