A collision caused a premature end to Paul di Resta's race while Adrian Sutil finished ninth in the Belgian Grand Prix as Sahara Force India lost its fifth place to McLaren, here today
The team was struggling ever since the introduction of new tyres by Pirelli and today was a good chance to gain some lost ground on the back of Di Resta's fifth place on the grid.
However, misfortune struck the side when the Scot was hit by Pastor Maldonado, who was trying to overtake Esteban Gutierrez, in lap 28.
Di Resta was firmly in points contention even as he had dropped some places but the crash forced his second retirement of the season. Before this, it was at the Malaysian GP where the Scot had retired.
Sutil, who could also have been a victim of that crash, drove superbly from 12th position to ninth as it snapped side's point-less streak. The side had returned without points in the last two races.
However, Jenson Button finished a strong sixth to earn eight points, which helped McLaren take a four-point lead over Force India, who now have 61 points.
Force came into the race with a narrow two-point lead over nearest-rival McLaren.
Defending champion Sebastian Vettel from Red Bull won the race while Ferrari's Fernando Alonso raced amazingly from ninth to second. Joining them on podium was Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, who yet again failed to win from pole.
Only one time, out of five pole position, the Mercedes driver has managed to win this season.
