The impact of the correct tyre choices at the Belgian Grand Prix was underlined by the discrepant fortunes of old team-mates/enemies Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, with the former winning the race and the latter falling victim to poorly timed dry and wet weather tyre fitments. Hamilton used a soft – hard – intermediate tyre strategy throughout an afternoon in which team bosses’ eyes remained on the rain radar. Alonso gambled in qualifying, using up too many fresh soft compound Bridgestone Potenzas. Red Bull’s Mark Webber, an increasingly likely title-challenger, finished second after surviving a terrible start from pole, while Renault’s Robert Kubica finished third, once again underlining his class in a car many believe to be inferior to those of his closest championship rivals, Felipe Massa and Nico Rosberg.