This archive report was first published on 1 September 2019.
On a sombre day at the Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc secured his maiden Formula One victory, dedicating it to his late friend, Anthoine Hubert.
Leclerc led almost the entire race from pole, holding off a dramatic late charge from Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton by just one second.
"My first victory in F1 and this one is for Anthoine," Leclerc said on the team radio. "It feels good, but it's difficult to enjoy on a weekend like this. But thanks guys, you are the best - it's a dream come true."
The race took place in a sombre atmosphere at the Ardennes circuit, preceded by a minute's silence to honour Hubert, who was killed in a multi-car collision in the Formula Two race 24 hours earlier.
Conditions were significantly cooler than in practice, and Leclerc led from pole, with Hamilton passing Vettel and then being passed back by the Ferrari driver.
By lap 10, Leclerc was 2.4 seconds clear of Vettel, whose top speed on the straights kept him ahead of Hamilton's attacks.
Hamilton's strong finish almost carried him to a stunning late win, but the result still enabled him to enlarge his lead in the title race to 65 points ahead of Valtteri Bottas.
