Although the skies above the Spa-Francorchamps circuit were overcast and the air temperature sitting at a cool 15 degrees, rain was expected to stay away over the course of the Belgian Grand Prix this afternoon. Drivers took to a cool circuit, registering at just 18 degrees, all 20 lining up in their respective grid positions to await the start of the formation lap. Ralf Schumacher appears calm and happy from his fourth place, stating that he is looking forward to watching the battle between his brother and the McLaren of Kimi Raikkonen off the start. Interestingly enough, the young Finn has opted to start the race of very scrubbed Michelin tyres.

Mechanics clear the grid and the formation lap gets underway. Everyone gets away okay and Michael Schumacher leads them back around the 7-kilometer circuit to await the start of the race. The lights go out and it's GO in Belgium! Rubens Barrichello gets past Raikkonen while Montoya gets past his teammate and into fourth and tries to make it past Raikkonen but is unable to make the move stick. David Coulthard also makes it past Ralf, dropping the German back to sixth. Michael immediately begins to pull away from the rest of the field, over two seconds ahead of his teammate on the second lap.

Kimi Raikkonen goes a little wide and Montoya seizes the opportunity to take third away from the Finn. Eddie Irvine is hanging on to eighth place, a second behind Jarno Trulli in seventh and half a second ahead of ninth placed Jenson Button. Felipe Massa takes fifteenth place from his teammate, both drivers progressing slightly from their starting positions. Meanwhile, Mark Webber becomes the first retirement of the afternoon when his Minardi suffers gearbox problems.

Lap five and there is now an eleven second gap between Michael Schumacher in first and Juan Pablo Montoya in third. In the midfield there is a battle emerging between Giancarlo Fisichella, Jacques Villeneuve and Felipe Massa, all three Bridgestone shod drivers fighting for thirteenth place. Fisichella eventually runs wide allowing the BAR through and Massa takes advantage of the situation and also goes past and into fourteenth place. Lap nine and fastest lap for Michael Schumacher, (1:48.243) the Ferrari driver now six seconds ahead of his second placed teammate and 17 ahead of third placed Juan Pablo Montoya.

Coulthard is harrying Raikkonen for fourth and Button closes in on eighth placed Eddie Irvine, but the Renault driver's charge is short lived, as he becomes the second retirement of the afternoon. Jacques Villeneuve closes in on the eleventh placed Toyota of Allan McNish, challenging the rookie for position. Massa is sticking close behind the BAR while McNish closes in on Pedro de la Rosa's Jaguar. While there is a lot of close racing midfield, the race is basically over at the front with Michael now 11 seconds ahead of Barrichello who in turn is 15 seconds ahead of Montoya.

Lap 14 and Villeneuve gets past the Toyota through Les Combes but instead of following the BAR through, Felipe Massa brings his Sauber in for its first stop. Takuma Sato also pits and there is a problem with the Jordans right rear and he is slightly delayed. Raikkonen closes in on Montoya as Ferrari prepare for Michael Schumacher. A bad stop for Irvine, 11 seconds, as Rubens Barrichello takes the lead of the Belgian Grand Prix.

Next time around and Barrichello pits, giving the lead back to his teammate. A spin for Ralf Schumacher sees the Williams driver lose even more time and sixth place, but he manages to continue on. Problems with the fuel nozzle and Barrichello loses time, eventually coming out behind Coulthard, however the Scot is yet to pit. Ralf comes in after his spin and Anthony Davidson retires from his second race, spinning his Minardi out of contention.

Coulthard pits and manages to pick up a position, taking fourth from his teammate. The order is now Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, Juan Pablo Montoya, David Coulthard, Kimi Raikkonen and Jarno Trulli, with 50 seconds between first and sixth after 21 laps. Giancarlo Fisichella was the last to pit and it appears as if the Jordan driver is on a one-stop strategy.

Felipe Massa, now in 13th, tries to take advantage of a slight error from twelfth placed Allan McNish through La Source. The Brazilian stays on the Toyota's gearbox while at the same time defending his position from a charging Nick Heidfeld. The second of round of stops get underway with Sato entering the Jordan garage, Felipe Massa and Jarno Trulli following the Japanese driver's lead and getting their final stops out of the way also.

Michael Schumacher's lead was that great that the German driver pitted and returned to the circuit a mere second behind his teammate, who is yet to stop for a final time. A better stop for Barrichello the second time around and he reclaims second place. The race win appears set as Ralf has a minor problem leaving the pits and returning to the track in ninth place. In comparison, teammate Juan Pablo Montoya has a very quick stop, 7.2 seconds and looks set to retain his third place.

Everyone, apart from the one-stopping Giancarlo Fisichella, has completed their second stops and although he didn't make up another position this time, David Coulthard closed the gap even further to third placed Montoya, the Scot just over a second behind. With just eight laps remaining, Kimi Raikkonen's Mercedes engine gives up the fight and the Finn becomes the fourth retirement of the day. Jarno Trulli's day is also over, the Italian retiring from fifth place, letting Ralf through and Eddie Irvine into sixth and a potential point!

Michael Schumacher slows but with only a handful of laps remaining, the German will just be coasting home. Felipe Massa joins the list of retirements after his Sauber blows on the start/finish line. Pedro de la Rosa is out as well, parking his Jaguar beside Raikkonen's McLaren, the Spaniard suffering with suspension failure. Giancarlo Fisichella retires with engine failure, leaving just twelve drivers remaining. The number soon drops to eleven after Olivier Panis' Honda engine blows.

Final lap and Michael coasts it home to finally break the record of nine wins in a season with victory number ten! Rubens Barrichello crosses the line just 1.9 seconds behind. It's Michael's 63rd victory and the 50th consecutive podium finish for Ferrari!

Top six: Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, Juan Pablo Montoya, David Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher and Eddie Irvine!