Belgian Grand Prix 2018: Sebastian Vettel wins to close gap on Lewis Hamilton - as it happened
Follow all the latest from Spa-Francorchamps
Lewis Hamilton starts the Belgian Grand Prix from pole position after yet another wet-weather masterclass in qualifying.
As the rain swept in over the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit, Hamilton took advantage of the tricky conditions to finish comfortably clear of title rival Sebastian Vettel. Frenchman Esteban Ocon will line up in a shock third place for Force India ahead of his team-mate Sergio Perez.
Vettel, who trails Hamilton by 24 points in the driver's championship, was the strong favourite to take pole with Ferrari holding the advantage over Mercedes in the dry. But as the rain arrived in the seconds before the top-10 shootout, it was Hamilton who took the spoils to finish a mighty seven tenths clear of the German.
We will have all the latest updates from Belgium:
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Preview
What time is it?
The 2018 Belgian Grand Prix starts at 14.10 BST.
What channel is it on?
The race is live on Channel 4 with coverage beginning at 1pm. The race is also being shown live on Sky Sports F1 with their show starting at 12.30pm.
What if I don't have access to a TV?
You can watch the race online via SkyGo. The race is also being broadcast live on BBC 5Live.
Who's going to win?
Lewis Hamilton is Evens to win from the front with title rival Sebastian Vettel a shade odds on at 5/4. If you fancy a longer shot Max Verstappen is 25/1 to pull off the upset.
Lap 3
We're still behind the safety car for the moment so let's quickly check in on the leaderboard.
Vettel leads Hamilton from Perez, Ocon, Verstappen, Grosjean, Magnussen.
Leclerc, Alonso and Hulkenburg are out after crashing in the opening corner crash. Ricciardo is sitting tight in the garage as the team work on his car, they want to get him back out, even if he is a couple of laps down.
Lap 4
When we talk about the flying Alonso, this is not what we mean. This is his car in the air after being hit by Hulkenberg.
Meanwhile Ricciardo is back on the track and the safety car is heading back in at the end of this lap. Can Vettel hold his place?
Lap 5
Safety car is in.
Vettel keeps the pack waiting and tires to speed away ahead of a corner. Hamilton sneaks in front and a little bit of under-rotation coming out of the final turn gives Vettel enough space to regain his place.
Lap 6
Vettel leads Hamilton by 1.4 seconds. The gap between the two leaders and the Force Indias is opening up.
Lap 7/44
Raikkonen is down to 15th following a puncture, Ricciardo is 17th and one lap behind the pack as Verstappen goes past Ocon to take fourth. He has a real chance of getting onto the podium and his thousands of fans in the crowd would love to see that.
Lap 8/44
Raikkonen is back into the pits after missing the apex at turn four, it seems like he is serving a penalty, although there's been no news of that, anyway, he comes out in 16th.
Lap 9/44
Having made his way past Ocon, Verstappen is reeling in Perez and is lurking behind the Force India with around .6 seconds of a second between them.
Vettel's lead over Hamilton is now 2.9 seconds.
Lap 10/44
Raiddonen is into the pits for the third time as the team continue to look at his car as an early puncture appears to hampering the car more than they thought.
Lap 10/44
He's done it! Verstappen overtakes Perez at the end of the Kemmel Straight. The crowd, as you would expect, raises the noise again.
Meanwhile Raikkonen is out. The damage from a shunt by Ricciardo could not be repaired and he becomes the fourth casualty of the afternoon.
Lap 13/44
So, Vettel leads Hamilton by 3.5 seconds after overtaking him on the first lap. Hamilton momentarily edged in front of his rival but his brakes locked on the exit and Vettel was able to quickly regain his lead.
Verstappen is up to third from seventh and Raikkonen has retired after an early collision.
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