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Feature

Stat Attack: Belgium (post-race)

Michele Merlino investigates the records and compiles the stats following the Belgian Grand Prix

Vettel's nightmare

• Sebastian Vettel's run of problems and dramas continued in Belgium. Here is a list of his results so far this season:

Bahrain: 4th (spark plug failure while leading)
Australia: DNF (brake failure while leading)
Malaysia: 1st
China: 6th
Spain: 3rd (brake failure while second)
Monaco: 2nd
Turkey: DNF (crashed into Webber while second)
Canada: 4th
Europe: 1st
Britain: 7th (puncture while second)
Germany: 3rd
Hungary: 3rd (drive-through penalty for safety car restart)
Belgium: 15th (crashed into Button while third)

Qualifying notes

• Ferrari has not had a pole position in 30 grands prix, the last coming at Interlagos in 2008.

• Red Bull claimed its 12th pole of the season - the first time a team has done so since Ferrari in 2004. The team can reach the record of 15, set by McLaren in 1988 and '89, and Williams in '92 and '93.

• Fourth place was Vettel's worst qualifying performance of the season - he previous worst was third in Malaysia, Monaco and Turkey. Spa ended his runs of four pole positions and five front row starts.

Jenson Button © LAT

• Jenson Button qualified inside the top 10 at Spa for the first time in five years.

• Rubens Barrichello equalled his season's best qualifying in seventh, the previous occasion being in the rain at Sepang.

• Heikki Kovalainen reached Q2 for the second time this year and started from a season high 13th on the grid.

• Jaime Alguersuari achieved the best starting spot of his career in 11th.

• Bruno Senna and Sakon Yamamoto recorded Hispania's best starting spots in 18th and 19th.

• Timo Glock made it to Q2 for the second time this year.

• Both Saubers failed to make it through Q2 for the first time this year.

Race notes

• Lewis Hamilton scored his 14th grand prix win, lifting him to 15th on the all-time list alongside Graham Hill, Jack Brabham and Emerson Fittipaldi. He also scored his sixth and McLaren's 140th fastest lap

• Mark Webber tied Alberto Ascari and Keke Rosberg with his 17th career podium.

• Robert Kubica claimed his third podium of the season. Nico Rosberg is the only other non-McLaren, Red Bull or Ferrari driver to have stood on the rostrum this season.

• Adrian Sutil matched his best result of the season, the fifth he scored in Malaysia.

• Jenson Button had not retired due to a crash since last year's Belgian Grand Prix, while Rubens Barrichello ended his run of 38 races without a crash (since Germany 2008).

• It was the first time Michael Schumacher has made it to the chequered flag outside the first two places at Spa. He was also beaten by a team-mate in Belgium for the first time.

• The pole-sitter has won just three of the last 17 races at Spa.

• It was the 10th consecutive victory for a McLaren or Ferrari at Spa, five each.

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