The summer break has come to a close and as the teams head to the Ardennes Forest for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa this weekend, Sir Lewis Hamilton is the driver leading the championship over his rival Max Verstappen by eight points.
The second half of this cracking 2021 season so far will be largely uncertain, with the global pandemic still playing a part in the world’s travel restrictions. However, Spa could be a very key race in terms of the championship with the rivalry between Hamilton and Verstappen heating up, and the race for third in the constructors between Ferrari and McLaren. Most teams will have switched their focus onto the 2022 car and the regulation changes coming into force next season, but some teams, including Mercedes, could bring in small upgrades to better their chances.
The Fight for the Title
Seven time world champion Hamilton will be looking for another victory here at Spa, a repeat of what he achieved last year. However, the battle with Red Bull and world title hopeful Verstappen is far from over.
“This has definitely been one of the most intense F1 seasons that I can remember, so far,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, in a statement for Mercedes AMG F1. “The battle is far from over and after a few weeks away from the track, we’re all really excited to get back to work. The shutdown is such an important time for the entire team. The chance to relax and recharge is invaluable, especially with such a busy second half of the season coming up, and the fight we have ahead of us,”
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“We head to Spa-Francorchamps in a good position,” he added. “We lead both Championships and the W12 feels in a better place, after the upgrades introduced at Silverstone and an encouraging showing in Hungary. But we know there is a long road ahead and so much can still happen in this season of ups and downs.”
Red Bull however, went from topping the standings quite comfortably after three consecutive victories in France and Austria, to now fighting for the lead once more and seeing all of that hard work and effort slowly slip away. After the incident in Silverstone where Verstappen and Hamilton collided, and then contact with Bottas at the Hungaroring, you can understand the anger towards Mercedes from the Red Bull garage. It has cost the Milton Keynes outfit millions of euros in repairs and valuable points. Dropping to second in the standings, they now have to take the fight to Mercedes again in the second half of the season in a bid to take their first world title 8 years.
There is also further uncertainty over Verstappen’s engine. After the incident with Hamilton at Silverstone, Honda salvaged the engine amongst the wreckage. The engine in the car at Silverstone was the second out of the three permitted to use over the course of the season. After evaluating the engine, Honda found a crack which meant it needed to be replaced. This forced Verstappen to take his final engine allocation. If Verstappen needs to take a fourth engine, and the likeliness of that happening are high, he will incur an engine penalty which could determine the world championship results.
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The Battle for Third
Elsewhere on the gird, there is another championship fight that is heating up. The battle for third in the constructors standings is becoming very interesting between McLaren and Ferrari who are currently tied on points. Lando Norris, a stand out driver of the season so far, is currently third in the driver’s standings but his team mate Daniel Ricciardo, who is 63 points behind him, sits ninth. With Ferrari drivers taking sixth and seventh place with only three points between them, McLaren have their work cut out to ensure they hold on to third.
Ricciardo, who left Renault at the end of the 2020 season to join the Woking squad, has taken a while to adapt to the McLaren. Sadly, he is being consistently out-paced by his team mate, with the Aussie’s frustration coming to the surface ahead of his 200th grand prix start. His driving style does not suit how the McLaren needs to be driven, so he has been carefully trying to adapt his style to the car, something that can take time. McLaren however, need better results if they are to fend of the Scuderia.
Headline Image: Reuters/Gabriel Bouys
