Motorsport boss Toto Wolff believes Mercedes suffered from a "double-whammy" of weaknesses compared to Ferrari which led to the result at the Belgian Grand Prix.

After rain had again interfered late in qualifying to allow Lewis Hamilton to take pole, in the dry on Sunday though, there was no place to hide as Sebastian Vettel breezed past Lewis Hamilton on Lap 1 before going on to claim an easy win.

For the Austrian, that was confirmation of a fear that had already been hinted at in recent races.

"They [Ferrari] have a power advantage," said Wolff. "We have seen that yesterday in qualifying, that power advantage is at various parts of the straights. You can see even if the exits are worse than ours, the engine keeps pulling.

"We can see they have a slight power advantage and then you add that to our weaknesses out of Turn 1 [La Source] especially, and that causes the double-whammy.

"If you're not very good on traction and you're being outperformed slightly on power, that Lap 1 happens."

Hamilton agreed with his boss that Spa was simply the first example of the current state of play without external factors to influence it.

"I would say those last two races in particular, with the cards that we were dealt we did a better job even though they had better cards," said the Briton.

"But there is only a certain amount of times you can do that. If you are playing with a deck of cards and you are bluffing there is only a certain amount of times that you can do that before your opponent realises."

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• Hamilton: Nothing I could do to stop Vettel at Spa
• Hamilton clarifies Ferrari "tricks" comment post-Belgium

Both Mercedes and Ferrari brought their third and final significant engine upgrade to Belgium, with another one incurring penalties, but Wolff does think the current unit can be tweaked to close the gap.

"It is all about understanding your power unit and calibrating, extracting all of the performance out of the software, the fuels, the oils and optimising the whole way you run the engine," he explained.

"That is something which doesn't involve the hardware and this is an ongoing process. So the answer is yes you can find performance.

"There is no silver bullet," he admits. "We won't find any performance that is suddenly going to add three tenths to the car, or to the engine, and we disappear into the sunset."

For Max Verstappen, third place felt almost like a victory at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday in front of an estimated 60,000 Dutch fans.

It wasn't exactly the most eventful race for the Red Bull driver, as the hard work was done in the early laps, but it did help break something of a jinx around Spa-Francorchamps, having only had a best finish of eighth in his three previous visits. 

“For sure, I think it is always good to be on the podium and to be on the podium here is always more special,” Verstappen said.

“It was nice on the last lap because you don’t do the full lap after the finish so on the last lap they [the fans] were already cheering me on so it was amazing to see.”

A podium was also somewhat of a welcome surprise with his team struggling for pace all weekend compared to Ferrari and Mercedes, however, the key was avoiding the madness that took place at the start.

“Yeah there was a bit of chaos in Turn 1 but luckily I was on the inside, and no crazy things happening there,” he reflected.

“From then on, on Lap 1 I passed Grosjean up the hill so that was good for the race. I just knew that I had to be patient with the Force India's because we had the pace to just go by, but still, they were bloody quick on the straight.

“As soon as I opened the DRS, I thought I would drive by, but it was still a bit harder than expected. It was still enjoyable, though, but after that, it was quite a lonely race."

For teammate Ricciardo, however, it was a very different story with his third retirement in five races as the flying McLaren of Fernando Alonso damaged his rear wing before hitting Kimi Raikkonen on the exit of La Source.

“Getting into Turn 1, I felt a hit and then to be honest, I remember sliding and then next minute, I was in the back of Kimi so it all happened pretty quick," the Aussie said.

“I don’t know who caused it but I guess the consequence was that I went into the back of Kimi so apologies to him if it was related to him [retiring]."

Despite what would be normally race-ending damage without a rear wing, Red Bull mechanics fixed the issue in around five minutes to get him back in the race albeit a few laps down.

He stayed out in hope of a second Safety Car which would allow him to be unlapped, but that never happened in a largely uneventful race.

In the midst of his disappointment, the 29-year-old also revealed more pain is on the way in a week's time at Monza with his boss later confirming.

“Daniel will be taking an engine penalty next weekend for sure,” Christian Horner told Sky Sports.

“Max might be making engine changes, but Singapore might be our next chance to put some pressure on Ferrari and Mercedes.”

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has used his team's lack of performance at Spa-Francorchamps to justify the decision to switch to Honda in 2019.

Even though Max Verstappen claimed a podium at his defacto home race, the RB14 was a long way off Mercedes and Ferrari as they had to give up speed through the corners to run less wing in the hopes of nullifying the top speed disadvantage.

A new Spec 3 Renault engine is to be introduced this weekend, with both Red Bull drivers taking it and estimates it will provide a third of a second in performance this weekend at Monza, even so, Horner remains convinced Honda is the way to go.

“Yeah, I mean we need to make a step,” he told Sky Sports. “You can see the gap to Ferrari and Mercedes… you just heard Lewis [Hamilton] moaning about Ferrari, I nearly got my violin out.

“You know, the gap is significant and I think if we can just close that.

“Honda are making great progress. You know, they [Toro Rosso] are scoring points regularly and Pierre [Gasly] has been very upbeat about them and you can see they are making headway.”

Also Read:

• Honda will be ahead of Renault in the engine stakes in 2019, says Red Bull adviser Marko
• Horner: Ricciardo had requested Red Bull contract in front of him

Indeed, the soon-to-be Red Bull driver was pleased with what he considered an unexpected ninth-place finish at Spa, which included a strong battle with the Ferrari-powered Sauber of Marcus Ericsson.

"It was supposed to be a difficult weekend for us on a track like this, and to end up with two points is really positive," said the Frenchman.

"I think everything is getting better, you know. The drivability, reliability, we don’t have any issues. We just need to get that extra performance to make us more consistent inside the top ten, but I think this weekend was really positive.

"I think next weekend will be a tough one but just looking at this weekend, it was good."

The Japanese manufacturer is also likely to continue their development push until the end of the season, with Toro Rosso willing to tolerate more engine penalties for more performance.

"You know what drivers are like, the more power they give us, the happier we are. I know we will have a couple more upgrades coming before the end of the season, but Honda is pushing flat out," Gasly added.

"To score points on a track like this is positive for the team."

After losing all their championship points on Thursday, Force India gave their new owners a great welcome gift with fifth and sixth at the Belgian GP.

Having started third and fourth, Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez were challenging for the lead on the approach to Les Combes on Lap 1, from that point on though, the might of the top three teams was too much as Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas caught and passed them on the Kemmel Straight.

"It’s a great performance by the team today and I think we executed an almost perfect weekend," said Perez.

"We just couldn’t have kept the top teams behind us in the dry so to be ‘best of the rest’, with Esteban right behind me, is the most we could have done.

"I am happy with what we have achieved; we have scored some important points for the team and sent a strong message for the next few races. It’s a nice start of a new era for the team."

While there is the possibility Spa could have been his final race with the team, as Lance Stroll rumours continue, Ocon was also pleased to have had the chance to challenge at the front.

"I am satisfied with today’s race and I think we finished where we deserved to with the pace we had," said the Frenchman.

"I made a good start and I was on the inside of Sebastian [Vettel] at turn one. He had better traction, but I was very quick on the straight and tried to get the lead on the Kemmel straight.

"I had a good run down, slipstreaming both Vettel and Lewis [Hamilton] and I tried to find a way on the inside, but in the end I lost a place to Sergio. It was good, fair racing all around.

"It’s a good start to the “new” life of the team; we scored a lot of points which is important for our championship comeback.

"We showed good pace all weekend and hopefully this is going to continue in the final part of the season."

Lewis Hamilton has clarified a comment he made after the Belgian Grand Prix in which he suggested Ferrari had several "tricks" on their car.

At Spa-Francorchamps, the performance that had been threatened in recent races finally took place as Sebastian Vettel eased past the Briton on the opening lap along the Kemmel Straight before taking victory by 11 seconds.

While most put that result down to an upgraded engine which is now superior to Mercedes, Hamilton alluded to other possible features on the car although insisted he was not meaning anything illegal.

"We all have trick things on our car. Trick is just a word for something special. I don’t know what’s on their car so I couldn’t tell you either way," he said.

"I’m not saying they are doing anything illegal. It’s just something that brings that extra bit of performance.

"That’s all I mean. I don’t mean anything to it so please don’t read into it and please don’t twist my words and say that I say they’re doing anything illegal because they’re not."

Also Read:

• Hamilton: Nothing I could do to stop Vettel at Spa

Naturally, the topic was put to FIA race director Charlie Whiting who laughed off the whole thing.

"I'm quite amused by it really," he said. "Because we know quite a lot about the Ferrari car, and there is no way that Lewis would know anything about the Ferrari car.

"They're doing a good job at the moment, and Mercedes have got to try and counter that, haven't they?

"That particular comment doesn't actually say anything," he added.

"If he says they've got a few tricks going on on that car, clearly they have got some things on the car which are giving it performance, which we're all aware of – all us in the FIA are aware of – and obviously we are happy with."

Sebastian Vettel believes his victory at the Belgian Grand Prix is proof that Ferrari can now challenge for victory on every type of circuit.

While returning as genuine contenders to Mercedes at the start of last year, it was the high-speed circuits such as Silverstone, Spa and Monza where the power of the German manufacturer's engine proved too strong.

That has all changed this season though, with big performance gains by the Italian team moving them ahead in the engine stakes as was proven by the ease with which Vettel passed Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap on Sunday.

“Very happy with how the start went. Turn 1 was crucial to set everything up," he said. "I am not sure Lewis saw me. He pushed me quite far to the left, but I knew my chance would be later on, up the hill.

“I think the timing was right. I managed that perfectly, I thought, last year I was always ending up short," he recalled. "It seems like it was better this year because we had a little bit less wing, and timing is crucial."

From that point on the 31-year-old controlled the pace, going on to claim a comfortable win by 11 seconds over his main championship rival and moving him ahead of Alain Prost into third in the all-time F1 wins list.

More wins than Alain? Wow,” he said after number 52 of his career. "I really enjoyed the race, to get time on this track is always quite nice - in a great car as well!"

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• Hamilton: Nothing I could do to stop Vettel at Spa

The result also sees him move to within 17 points of Hamilton and with the momentum on his side with the next two races in Monza and Singapore also expected to suit the Scuderia.

"We had a new engine this weekend which gave us a little bit more power, and I like to think a little more help and boost down the straight. It's good to see it all comes together when it works," he said.

"[I'm] looking forward to going to Italy. Racing in Italy is special for us with it being Ferraris' home race so it should be a lot of fun.

"We have a good car that seems to work everywhere. I don't think the car was there right from the beginning but I think we've got it now to a point where it seems to work everywhere and we're competitive.

"On all fronts, I think we've made a step forward, it's key to have a car that works everywhere because that's been our weakness and I think we've tackled it fairly well."

FIA race director Charlie Whiting has explained why Nico Hulkenberg avoided the same punishment that Romain Grosjean received despite the pair causing similar crashes at the start of recent Belgian GP's.

The Renault driver misjudged his braking point for La Source hairpin on Sunday, ploughing into the back of Fernando Alonso's McLaren and sending it over the top of Charles Leclerc's Sauber, with the Halo deflecting a flailing front-right tyre away from the Monegasque's head.

It brought back many flashbacks to Grosjean's incident back in 2012 when he too went too deep into Spa's first corner and went flying over the front of Alonso's then-Ferrari, narrowly avoiding the Spaniard's helmet.

After that race, the Frenchman was banned for the Italian Grand Prix while Hulkenberg only has a 10-place grid drop for Monza, however, it is the penalty points system that was born in the wake of Grosjean's actions that worked in the German's favour.

"When you go back to the Grosjean accident, I think he had four different incidents [that year]," Whiting explained.

"The idea was that if he'd had those accidents and each had attracted three [penalty] points, then we would be quite justified to ban him for a race.

"That was the way that it was made 12 points, so in the future, if that sort of thing happened, that would be the result."

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• Alonso, Leclerc praise Halo as Hulkenberg explains Spa start crash

Hulkenberg though is not yet on the cusp of reaching that total, despite the three penalty points he picked up in Belgium and that is why he can take to the track this weekend in Italy.

"[Sunday's crash] was clearly Nico's fault, he said he was completely to blame for it, and he took three, arguably four cars out, or destroyed their races," Whiting continued.

"I think the points are exactly right, and the 10-place grid penalty is pretty much what he expected, he didn't say too much after it, apparently."

The role Halo played in the accident was highly-praised with even some of the staunchest critics accepting situations such as that at Spa justify its introduction.

A new 360-degree video from Leclerc's car was also uploaded to Twitter which shed light on just how important the cockpit device was.

Immediately after the race though, the FIA director did hold some judgement.

“A little early to say,” he said. “The high-speed camera won’t tell us an awful lot, the onboard camera that we’ve seen so far is not particularly clear.

“I think it would be a little bit speculative, but you can see it doesn’t take much imagination to think that the tyre marks could have actually been on Charles’ head.

“It would have been a bit of a miracle if they weren’t had the Halo not been there. There’s a huge extent of the tyre marks, as you’ve all seen I’m sure.

“So it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to think that that probably would have made contact with his head. But it is slightly speculative.”

Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc have praised the role of the Halo after it likely protected the Monegasque in their violent La Source crash at the Belgian GP.

The incident was triggered was Nico Hulkenberg as the German locked his brakes and slammed into the back of the McLaren, which led to it flying over the Sauber, taking all three out of the race at the start.

After an investigation, the stewards slapped the Renault driver with a 10-place grid drop for this weekend's race at Monza, however, offering his side of the story, the 31-year-old claimed he was shocked by how little control he had.

"It's just incredible to find out again on Lap 1 how sensitive these cars are with aerodynamics when you have a few cars that bunch up in front of you, how much grip and load you lose," he claimed.

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• Belgian GP: Vettel cruises to victory after Lap 1 pass

"When I hit the brakes obviously I instantly locked up the front wheels and then just sliding into Fernando. Yeah, probably a misjudgment from my side, a bit too late on the brakes, a bit too keen.

"It's frustrating obviously for him, for Charles as well but also for myself."

Alonso wasn't buying any excuses, however, as he ripped into Hulkenberg for rekindling memories of a similar incident which had him in Leclerc's seat in 2012.

"Again a very big-time missing braking point, that time I think Romain [Grosjean] had a race ban. This time we’ll see." Alonso told the BBC drawing comparisons before the later penalty was given.

"But it’s tough to understand how you can miss so much. It’s not a couple of metres when you arrive at a speed which is impossible to negotiate the corner, so said for that but happy we are all fine."

The Lotus would fly across the front of the Spaniard's cockpit narrowly avoiding his head six years ago, and images of Leclerc's car after the incident this year proved how valuable the Halo is.

"Luckily the positive side is that we all three OK. Especially Charles, I flew over his car, the Halo was a very good thing to have today," he said.

"I think for him it helped, looking at the replay. And yeah for me in that case in 2012 I was definitely happier if I had the Halo. We don’t need to prove it’s a good thing to has."

The 20-year-old agreed, later writing on Instagram: “I have never been a fan of the Halo but I have to say that I was very happy to have it over my head.

“I felt the impact and looking at the image of my car it is quite spectacular. I was lucky.”

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff admits finding an immediate solution for Esteban Ocon is imperative but remains confident of his future in Formula 1.

Following the takeover at Force India by Lawrence Stroll during the summer break, rumours have been swirling as to how soon he will pull his son Lance from Williams and place him into his new long-term seat.

With comments from Sergio Perez indicating his future had been sorted at the Silverstone-based team, that left Ocon as the man to be ousted although earlier suggestions that would happen this weekend at Monza are wide of the mark.

Instead, with two weeks until the next race in Singapore, that is believed to be the likely race where a driver merry-go-round will take place and Wolff is sure the Frenchman will take to the streets of Marina Bay.

"We will continue to help him in finding a short-term solution for him to drive," he said last week in Belgium.

"There’s a lot of interest (in him) out there and it’s just a matter of scanning the market in the next few days to choose the right option for him and the team. But I’m very optimistic for his future."

Also Read:

• Hamilton & Vettel offer Ocon support as Force India exit looms

It was thought the 21-year-old would be heading to Renault for 2019, with the Mercedes chief even suggesting that was "clear" before Daniel Ricciardo changed the landscape with his shock decision to leave Red Bull.

A move to McLaren in place of Stoffel Vandoorne was though likely for Ocon, however, as one of the tallest drivers on the grid, it is claimed he struggled to fit inside the MCL33 when in Woking for a recent seat-fitting.

Lance Stroll likely had few issues snuggling into his Force India when he too had a seat-fitting earlier this week so with that prospect still looming Sky Sports triggered rumours that perhaps it will Perez returning to the team he raced with in 2013 alongside Sainz next season.

Expect plenty more to come out over the next few days at Monza...

Lewis Hamilton admits he could only sit back and watch as Sebastian Vettel romped to victory at the Belgian GP on Sunday.

After rain in Q3 had allowed the Mercedes driver to claim a record fifth pole at Spa 24 hours before, the first attack by his championship rival was enough as the Ferrari streaked past the Briton on the Kemmel Straight.

Despite a half-chance into the Bus Stop chicane at the Safety Car restart, the rest of the race would be easy pickings for Vettel as he went on to take the checkered flag by 11 seconds.

"They just blitzed us today, there's not really another way of saying it," Hamilton conceded afterwards. "I did everything I could in the race but he drove past me like I wasn't even there on the straight.

"He had the perfect gap between me and him going into Eau Rouge, here's just not anything I can do to stop it."

Offering his view on the race-defining move, Vettel also suggested it couldn't have gone better.

“I had a great start and then I am not sure Lewis saw me, he pushed me quite far to the left, but I knew my chance would be later on, up the hill," he explained.

“I think I timed it well. Obviously, last year I was always ending up short. It seems like it was better this year because we had a little bit less [rear] wing and timing is crucial.

“I managed that perfectly, I thought, but then the Force India came as well but as soon as I was ahead I was quite relieved."

Ferrari's engine advantage is likely to be even more influential next weekend at Monza, the fastest circuit on the calendar, and looking longer-term Hamilton acknowledges Mercedes need to respond if they want to stay in the championship fight.

"We came here with an upgrade, but unfortunately Ferrari were able to match us and even go faster. We've got to find more performance and improve on the areas where they're currently stronger than us," he said.

"But the battle continues and for the sport, this is really exciting. We will keep pushing."

After Spa, the gap now sits at 17 points in Hamilton's favour with eight races to go.