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F1: Hamilton wins slippery Grand Prix in Belgium

Britain’s Lewis Hamilton reinforced his world championship lead by claiming his fifth win of the season at a dramatic, rain-swept Belgian Grand Prix yesterday.

The 23-year-old Englishman is now eight points ahead of Brazilian Felipe Massa of Ferrari in the championship after luckless defending champion Kimi Raikkonen of Finland crashed out in the final laps after dominating the race.

The race was settled by the infamous and capricious weather conditions at this great circuit, as Massa came home second and German Nick Heidfeld stole through to take third for BMW Sauber.

Raikkonen had taken the lead at the start of the second lap when Hamilton spun at the La Source hairpin, but after controlling the race he lost his lead and his title challenge when he crashed out in heavy rain in the closing laps. It was Hamilton’s fifth win this year and his ninth in Formula One in two seasons. Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso of Spain came home fourth for Renault, ahead of German Sebastian Vettel in a Toro Rosso and sixth-placed Pole Robert Kubica in the second BMW.

With six laps remaining, the first rain drops began to fall and produced the conditions that created the amazing final few laps, when Hamilton regained the lead.

On lap 42, he caught the Finn and passed him, but as the rain fell heavily with three laps remaining the race was turned into a lottery as they both spun and soon after Raikkonen crashed off into a wall and out of the race for good.
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