LONDON, (Reuters) – The holidays are over and Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton faces a new start as the second half of the season revs up at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit this weekend.
The rules have been tweaked, meaning drivers on the starting grid can no longer be assisted over the radio by data-crunching engineers to find the optimum clutch settings that will ensure the quickest getaway.
Hamilton, 21 points clear of Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg after 10 of 19 races, has had three poor starts in a row despite all being from pole position and the big question is what difference the change will make.
Another failure in Spa, where the Mercedes drivers started on the front row last year but collided on lap two, would only make the Briton’s bosses more jittery after neither finished on the podium in Hungary in July.
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff warned this week that the team must stay focused.
“There is never a moment you can take your foot off the gas and Hungary proved once again that any slip is an opportunity our rivals will grab with both hands,” he said.
After hanging out with movie and music celebrities, as well as his dogs Roscoe and Coco, in Barbados, New York and The Hamptons over the August break, Hamilton is raring to get back on track.
But he recognised after Hungary, where he finished only sixth while Rosberg was eighth, that the championship could be entering choppy waters — particularly at Spa where rain is regularly a factor.
