Hamilton after win in Belgium: “Today was a dream”

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Lewis Hamilton was quick to thank his Mercedes AMG Petronas team following his victory in the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Hamilton dominated proceedings at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps from pole position, cruising to his sixth win of the season to extend his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship.

Speaking on the podium after the race, Hamilton expressed his delight and heaped praise on the Mercedes team for providing him with the dominant W06 Hybrid car.

“For me, just an amazing weekend again,” Hamilton said. “An incredible job done by the team throughout the pit stops, throughout the whole weekend, the guys back at the factory.

“Today was a dream. The whole weekend, the car was fantastic. Thank you guys.”

Hamilton’s closest challenger for the race win was Mercedes teammate and title rival Nico Rosberg, who finished two seconds down at the checkered flag.

Despite coming under pressure at moments during the race, Hamilton explained how he felt relaxed and in control at the front of the pack.

“Nico had obviously good pace but I was able to answer most of the time,” Hamilton said. “Fairly relaxed at the front, the car was feeling great so it was mainly about looking after the tires.

“Particularly at the end when I saw one of the tires had blown on another car, so the last two laps Nico was allowed to close the gap.

“[I] felt really under control the whole way, and as I said, a lot of good assistance from the team. I felt 100% all weekend.”

Hamilton now enjoys a 28-point lead at the top of the drivers’ championship ahead of the Italian Grand Prix in two weeks’ time.

IndyCar Power Rankings: Pato O’Ward moves to the top entering Texas Motor Speedway

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The NBC Sports IndyCar power rankings naturally were as jumbled as the action on the streets of St. Petersburg after a chaotic opener to the 2023 season.

Pato O’Ward, who finished second because of an engine blip that cost him the lead with a few laps remaining, moves into the top spot ahead of St. Pete winner Marcus Ericsson and Alexander Rossi, who finished fourth in his Arrow McLaren debut. Scott Dixon and St. Pete pole-sitter Romain Grosjean (who led 31 laps) rounded out the top five.

St. Pete pole-sitter Romain Grosjean (who started first at St. Pete after capturing his second career pole position) Callum Ilott (a career-best fifth) and Graham Rahal entered the power rankings entering the season’s second race.

Three drivers fell out of the preseason top 10 after the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – including previously top-ranked Josef Newgarden, who finished 17th after qualifying 14th.

Heading into Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, here’s NBC Sports’ assessment of the current top 10 drivers through the first of 17 races this year (with previous preseason rankings in parenthesis):


NBC Sports’ IndyCar Power Rankings

1. Pato O’Ward (5) – If not for the dreaded “plenum event” in the No. 5 Chevrolet, the Arrow McLaren driver is opening the season with a victory capping a strong race weekend.

2. Marcus Ericsson (7) – He might be the most opportunistic driver in IndyCar, but that’s because the 2022 Indy 500 winner has become one of the series’ fastest and most consistent stars.

3. Alexander Rossi (10) – He overcame a frustrating Friday and mediocre qualifying to open his Arrow McLaren career with the sort of hard-earned top five missing in his last years at Andretti.

4. Scott Dixon (3) – Put aside his opening-lap skirmish with former teammate Felix Rosenqvist, and it was a typically stealthily good result for the six-time champion.

5. Romain Grosjean (NR) – The St. Petersburg pole-sitter consistently was fastest on the streets of St. Petersburg over the course of the race weekend, which he couldn’t say once last year.

6. Scott McLaughlin (6) – Easily the best of the Team Penske drivers before his crash with Grosjean, McLaughlin drove like a legitimate 2023 championship contender.

7. Callum Ilott (NR) – A quietly impressive top five for the confident Brit in Juncos Hollinger Racing’s first race as a two-car team. Texas will be a big oval litmus test.

8. Graham Rahal (NR) – Sixth at St. Pete, Rahal still has the goods on street courses, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan remains headed in the right direction.

9. Alex Palou (4) – He seemed a step behind Ericsson and Dixon in the race after just missing the Fast Six in qualifying, but this was a solid start for Palou.

10. Will Power (2) – An uncharacteristic mistake that crashed Colton Herta put a blemish on the type of steady weekend that helped him win the 2022 title.

Falling out (last week): Josef Newgarden (1), Colton Herta (8), Christian Lundgaard (9)