Belgium Grand Prix Talking Points

August is always favourite month for sports fans. In England, the cricket season is well into its element. Across Europe, football returns for a new season, and in America the build-up to the new NFL season begins in earnest. There is also the added excitement of a Rugby World Cup on the horizon.

In F1, things are no different, and the sport returns for the second half of its season. All the promise and potential from the first 10 races means little if it success can’t be sustained across the unenviable autumn slog, which starts in the picturesque Belgian forests.

Looks are deceiving however, as there is no great challenge than mastering one of F1’s most demanding tracks.

Can Lewis Hamilton finally break his Belgian curse? Can Nico Rosberg claw back some points again? Or can the dangerous Sebastian Vettel scare Mercedes’ pair with another flawless win?

New start rules

F1 has moved to appease fans again this weekend as new rules are enforced at the start of the race.

Previously, race engineers advised drivers on the right bite point of the clutch based on dunny runs, however this is not banned.

Drivers must go alone as communication about the bite point is banned from when the driver leaves the garage to make his way round to the grid.

This should make starts unpredictable and produce a bigger variety. Some will fly of the line, but there will be more that struggle to get up to speed.

On Belgium’s short start-finish straight, this is unlikely to have a major impact but in the next race in Italy you can expect drivers to change position up and down the grid.

Can Mercedes respond?

Mercedes boss Toro Wolff is worried that they will undone all their hard work and throw away their world championship in the final months of the season.

Mercedes have the best car and, in Lewis Hamilton, arguably the best driver as well. Yet in Monaco, poor tactical decisions cost Hamilton victory, while in Hungary the same mistake saw Nico Rosberg clash with Daniel Ricciardo, putting both out of contention for a win. The team are being ay too conservative.

All the while, Sebastian Vettel is accumulating points and is now just 40 points behind Hamilton in the standings. Considering, there is as much as one second per lap difference between the cars, that is some achievement.

Mercedes have cracked under the pressure at times this season, and Vettel is certainly going to keep applying it in the weeks ahead.

After their Hungarian failure, and their disaster in this race last year when both drivers crashed into each other, only a one-two will allay fears this weekend.

But Rosberg remains a major issue. He needs to score more points than Hamilton, and will fight hard to get them.

Any improvement for McLaren?

McLaren vowed to make great strides in the second-half of the season and where better to test their new and improved engine than Belgium, a track where power is essential to success.

The team are likely to receive grid penalties as both their drivers will exceed their allocation of engines for the second time this season.

However, where they finish matters little in comparison to their overall performance. Signs of progress is crucial. Sunday’s race could be a case of them against the clock as they aim to show off their quicker car.

There is a firm belief inside the team that they will be competing for podiums come the end of the season, and although Belgium, and the next race in Italy, won’t suit them, they should be able to compete with the likes of Red Bull, who will also struggle.

After all the negativity they have faced this year, McLaren are desperate to get back on track and it needs to happen sooner rather than later.

2016 grid changes

The silly season has been in full swing for months, but now is the time when moves start to become apparent.

Kimi Raikkonen has kept his Ferrari seat, but who will drive for McLaren, Williams, Red Bull or new boys Haas.

Deadlines are approaching and as they edge nearer, the talk will hype up another level. In Belgium, extra pressure will be put on those fighting for their futures.

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