Belgian F1 Grand Prix 2016 Results: Winner, Standings, Highlights, Reaction

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg drove superbly from pole position to clinch victory at the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Rosberg was flawless throughout in what was an otherwise chaotic race, building up a comfortable gap between himself and Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, who came home in second. Lewis Hamilton, who started in 21st, capitalised on a frantic start to move through the field quickly, taking a hard-earned third.

This triumph for the German sees Hamilton's lead at the top of the world championship get chopped to just nine points. Here is the race result and those updated standings:

POS	DRIVER	CAR	TIME/RETIRED
1	Nico Rosberg	MERCEDES	1:44:51.058
2	Daniel Ricciardo	RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER	+14.113s
3	Lewis Hamilton	MERCEDES	+27.634s
4	Nico Hulkenberg	FORCE INDIA MERCEDES	+35.907s
5	Sergio Perez	FORCE INDIA MERCEDES	+40.660s
6	Sebastian Vettel	FERRARI	+45.394s
7	Fernando Alonso	MCLAREN HONDA	+59.445s
8	Valtteri Bottas	WILLIAMS MERCEDES	+60.151s
9	Kimi Räikkönen	FERRARI	+61.109s
10	Felipe Massa	WILLIAMS MERCEDES	+65.873s
11	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER	+71.138s
12	Esteban Gutierrez	HAAS FERRARI	+73.877s
13	Romain Grosjean	HAAS FERRARI	+76.474s
14	Daniil Kvyat	TORO ROSSO FERRARI	+87.097s
15	Jolyon Palmer	RENAULT	+93.165s
16	Esteban Ocon	MRT MERCEDES	+1 lap
17	Felipe Nasr	SAUBER FERRARI	+1 lap
NC	Kevin Magnussen	RENAULT	DNF
NC	Marcus Ericsson	SAUBER FERRARI	DNF
NC	Carlos Sainz	TORO ROSSO FERRARI	DNF
NC	Jenson Button	MCLAREN HONDA	DNF
NC	Pascal Wehrlein	MRT MERCEDES	DNF

POS	DRIVER	NATIONALITY	CAR	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	MERCEDES	232
2	Nico Rosberg	GER	MERCEDES	223
3	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER	151
4	Sebastian Vettel	GER	FERRARI	128
5	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	FERRARI	124
6	Max Verstappen	NED	RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER	115
7	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	WILLIAMS MERCEDES	62
8	Sergio Perez	MEX	FORCE INDIA MERCEDES	58
9	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	FORCE INDIA MERCEDES	45
10	Felipe Massa	BRA	WILLIAMS MERCEDES	39
11	Fernando Alonso	ESP	MCLAREN HONDA	30
12	Carlos Sainz	ESP	TORO ROSSO FERRARI	30
13	Romain Grosjean	FRA	HAAS FERRARI	28
14	Daniil Kvyat	RUS	TORO ROSSO FERRARI	23
15	Jenson Button	GBR	MCLAREN HONDA	17
16	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	RENAULT	6
17	Pascal Wehrlein	GER	MRT MERCEDES	1
18	Stoffel Vandoorne	BEL	MCLAREN HONDA	1
19	Esteban Gutierrez	MEX	HAAS FERRARI	0
20	Jolyon Palmer	GBR	RENAULT	0
21	Marcus Ericsson	SWE	SAUBER FERRARI	0
22	Felipe Nasr	BRA	SAUBER FERRARI	0
23	Rio Haryanto	INA	MRT MERCEDES	0
24	Esteban Ocon	FRA	MRT MERCEDES	0

With Hamilton on the back row of the grid on Sunday, the start was always going to be fascinating. Things went perfectly for Rosberg, who surged away easily, although it was disastrous for a host of the other contenders.

The two Ferrari drivers touched on Turn 1, with Sebastian Vettel stranded in the middle of the track. Kimi Raikkonen suffered front-wing damage, too, so both men endured major setbacks early on; the Finn’s continued as he dived into the pits with part of his car on fire:

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen suffered damage to his car as well, while Hamilton stayed out of trouble in the early stages, capitalising on the issues of others to move quickly into 12th.

An incident-filled start continued, as Renault's Kevin Magnussen was involved in a high-impact crash at Raidillon. Per F1 journalist Gianlu D’Alessandro, here’s a look at moment in question, which eventually brought out a red flag and halted the race so the barriers could be fixed:

"

Magnussen's incident

He is okay! pic.twitter.com/VXeOPkC4Fg

— Gianlu D'Alessandro (@Gianludale27) August 28, 2016"

As the action restarted, Fernando Alonso, who started in last place, and Hamilton were in fourth and fifth, respectively, and well in the mix for the top spots. They quickly changed, though, with the Mercedes too sharp in a straight line for the McLaren.

Charles Coates/Getty Images

Hamilton also made his way past Nico Hulkenberg into third, but before he could look too far down the road, the world champion was brought in for fresh tyres after complaining of poor grip. It triggered a few more drivers coming into the pits, with Ricciardo also struggling for pace.

Sometimes, things got a little close for comfort in the pits, as was the case between Hulkenberg and Alonso on the exit:

Hamilton was unable to get past Ricciardo and pitted again for more fresh tyres, coming back out in fourth with only Hulkenberg between him and a podium spot. The Brit quickly passed the Force India and went after Ricciardo for a second time with 10 laps to go. 

JOHN THYS/Getty Images

The Mercedes didn't quite have the pace to reel the Australian in in the final stages, although Hamilton should be content with a spot on the podium at the end of a turbulent weekend. Meanwhile, Rosberg coasted to the chequered flag untroubled, taking a vital 25 points.

As noted by F1 on NBC Sports, Hamilton continued a strong record when he's started from the back section of the grid:

Afterwards Rosberg praised the effort of his longstanding rival. "Congratulation to Lewis," he said, per BBC Sport. "From last to third must have been pretty impressive. It is great to get the win, it is a legendary track. Lewis starting at the back made it a lot easier and I'm sure he will back at Monza."

Charles Coates/Getty Images

For Rosberg, this win was the perfect way to get started once again after the break. The German needed to arrest the momentum built up by his team-mate ahead of the midseason interval and must carry the form he showcased here into the Italian Grand Prix next weekend.

Hamilton will be delighted to have limited the potential damage of this weekend. Of course, the world champion will always be disappointed not to be on the top of the podium, but given the lively start to the race and how well things aligned for the Mercedes man, this was a fine effort.