After an absolute blinder of a race in the Belgian forest, all has changed once more at the top of the leaderboards.

Where there were five, there are now two, thanks to some shockingly bad luck for Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso, none of whom scored any points on Sunday.

But to blame it all on luck is lazy. McLaren driver Jenson Button was certainly the victim of bad luck, as his retirement came at the hands of Sebastian Vettel, when the young German lost control of his car under braking and parked it in the side of the Brit's machine. Vettel was lucky not to retire himself, but the Red Bull driver's day was spoiled by his subsequent drive-through penalty and further prangs.

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso lost control of his car in the closing stages of the race, when the rain began to fall in earnest. The Spanish double champion caught his car on a wet kerb, lost control of it on the astroturf, and ended up spinning between Les Combes and Malmedy, stopping his car on track. Alonso's race was over, and the safety car came out to play.

Race winner Lewis Hamilton and second-placed Mark Webber have now pulled away from the three retirees at the top of the championship standings. While future retirements for either man are possible – and with six races remaining, anything could happen – for the time being, both Hamilton and Webber have a semi-comfortable margin in the points.

The season is now two-thirds complete, and teams are preparing for the final run to the championships. While Alonso knows that he is the keystone in Ferrari's bid for the titles, the events of Sunday in Belgium have given Webber and Hamilton a temporary advantage over their teammates, and one that could see both men promoted to number one driver status as Abu Dhabi draws ever nearer.

Both McLaren and Red Bull have been vocal about driver parity this season, with both Christian Horner and Martin Whitmarsh emphasising that neither man would be treated as number one until the other was numerically out of the championship. Neither Webber nor Hamilton have an unassailable lead over their teammate, and there are still 150 points available to race winners, but the time for a decision on number one status is fast approaching.

Lewis Hamilton now has a three point advantage over Mark Webber at the top of the drivers' standings. Sebastian Vettel in P3 is 28 points behind his teammate, 31 behind Hamilton. Jenson Button is in P4, 35 points behind his teammate and 32 behind Webber, while both Ferrari drivers have dropped further back. Number one driver Fernando Alonso is now 41 points behind Hamilton, while Felipe Massa is 32 points behind the Spaniard and 73 points shy of Lewis' lead.

The revision to the points system this season means that Hamilton and Webber's advantage is not as great as it seems. Both drivers have at least a one-race lead over the men behind, but that margin is nowhere near great enough to ensure eventual victory. Mechanical failures can happen to anyone at any time, and the best driver on the grid can see his race ended by another man's error.

But in the next few races – and almost certainly by Korea – McLaren and Red Bull will each need to decide on a number one driver with a better chance at the title. This increases the pressure on all four men, and is a probable explanation for Vettel's desperate driving in Belgium. Keen to assert himself as the team's de facto number one, the young German's race was riddled with errors that led to him being out of the points entirely.

Ferrari could be out of the race entirely. The team's decision to allot number one status to Alonso on-track at the Hockenheimring put Felipe Massa out of the title hunt. But on 8 September the Scuderia will be defending themselves against the accusation of violating the team orders rule at a World Motor Sport Council hearing. Should the WMSC choose to punish the team by stripping them of the points gained in Germany, Alonso will drop to 116 points, 66 behind current WDC leader Hamilton.

World Drivers' Standings (top 10)

1. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 182pts
2. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 179pts
3. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 151pts
4. Jenson Button (McLaren) 147pts
5. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 141pts
6. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 109pts
7. Robert Kubica (Renault) 104pts
8. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 102pts
9. Adrian Sutil (Force India) 45pts
10. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) 44pts

World Constructors' Standings (top 10)

1. Red Bull 330pts
2. McLaren 229pts
3. Ferrari 250pts
4. Mercedes 147pts
5. Renault 123pts
6. Force India 47pts
7. Williams 40pts
8. Sauber 27pts
9. Toro Rosso 11pts
10. Lotus 0pts  Kate Walker Girlracer magazine 

Worth Checking -  F1 News - Kate Walkers F1 blog

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