Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel sped clear of first corner carnage to celebrate a commanding Belgian Grand Prix victory and trim Lewis Hamilton's Formula One lead to 17 points with eight races remaining.

Hamilton, last year's winner in Belgium, again started from pole position after a wet qualifying race but his Mercedes could not match the German's pace in the dry and he had to settle for second.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen gave his army of Dutch fans something to cheer by taking third place, but his teammate Daniel Ricciardo collided at the start with Kimi Raikkonen and retired after pitting.

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The first corner otherwise provided the main drama, with Fernando Alonso's McLaren flying over Charles Leclerc's Sauber at the La Source hairpin after being rammed by Renault's Nico Hulkenberg.

All three retired as the safety car was deployed for four laps but Leclerc had reason to thank the "halo" head protection system — introduced this season — for allowing him to step away unscathed.

Television close-ups after the race showed the structure heavily marked by the impact.

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"We can end the HALO discussion now. It will save lives," tweeted 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg after seeing the images.

Hulkenberg was later handed a 10 place grid penalty for next weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

"First I saw was in the mirror — I saw in the mirror Nico with all four tyres locked, missed the braking point and then I felt the impact," Alonso said of the accident.

"It's sad because you know to miss so much the breaking point is not a couple of metres. He came with a speed that you don't come even in qualifying laps. It's sad because these kind of mistakes they have high consequences.

"I think on the positive side we are all fine — especially Charles, because I flew over his car. And yeah, the halo was a very good thing to have."

The halo was a controversial introduction to the sport at the start of the season, with many drivers unhappy at the aesthetic of it particularly.

Hamilton described it as "the worst-looking modification" in the sport's history, but changed his mind following a subsequent safety demonstration.

Sebastian Vettel avoided the wreckage on the first corner and went on to win. ( AP: Geert Vanden Wijngaert )

Vettel had an untroubled afternoon once the safety car returned to the pit lane and took the chequered flag 11.0 seconds clear of Hamilton.

"He drove past me like I wasn't even there on the straight," said Hamilton, who was quick to shake his rival's hand and offer congratulations.

"They have got a few trick things going on in the car," he added. "I did what I could, we did what we could so we have to keep working."

The Briton later clarified his remark to emphasise that he was not questioning the legality of the Ferrari.

In the enthralling battle between the four-times world champions, Hamilton now has 231 points to Vettel's 214 with both on five wins apiece for the campaign.

"I had a great start, I'm not sure Lewis saw me as he pushed me to the left in the first lap," said Vettel of his decisive pass on Hamilton on the Kemmel straight after the title frontrunners had made clean getaways.

"As soon as I was ahead I relaxed. I had a good restart after the safety car, and after that it was a very smooth race," he added.

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Reuters/AP