Kimi Raikkonen won the Belgian Grand Prix for Ferrari’s first success of the Formula One season on Sunday after championship leader Jenson Button crashed on the opening lap.
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella finished second,just 0.9 of second behind the Finn,to give his Force India team their first points in 30 starts after securing their first pole position the day before.
Germany’s Sebastian Vettel was third for championship contenders Red Bull.
Button’s failure to score points for the first time this season left the Brawn driver 16 points clear of Brazilian team mate and closest rival Rubens Barrichello,who collected two points for seventh place.
Barrichello,winner in Valencia last weekend,made a poor start and then had a scare in the closing laps when his engine started smoking. The Brawn caught fire moments after he crossed the finish line.
Button,winner of six of the season’s first seven races,had already suffered his worst qualifying of the year with 14th place on the grid.
The Briton was hit from behind by Renault’s French rookie Romain Grosjean in an accident at Les Combes that also took out McLaren’s world champion Lewis Hamilton.
“I got a very good start. I got past Lewis,and obviously Rubens had his problem. I made up like four places,” Button told the BBC.