Lewis Hamilton is “gunning for that top spot again” with the Formula One calendar set to emerge from its summer hibernation. The Mercedes driver and current drivers’ championship leader will head to Spa-Francorchamps for this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix – the scene of last season’s collision with team-mate Nico Rosberg – following a four-week break.
Yet Hamilton last won at Spa in 2010 and his team’s head of motorsport Toto Wolff has warned both of his drivers against complacency. Wolff said: “Any slip is an opportunity our rivals will grab with both hands.”
The world champion Hamilton, who finished sixth at last month’s Hungarian Grand Prix following an error-strewn performance, has spent the break holidaying in Barbados and New York. But he now has his sights fixed on winning in Belgium and strengthening his position in the race for the drivers’ title.
He said: “It’s been good to take a break from racing and spend some time relaxing, training and recharging the batteries. There’s always that flame in the back of your mind that just wants to get back out there and get on it – especially after a race like Hungary.
“Spa is a great track to kick off the second part of the season too. It’s one of the really great, old-school circuits with so much history. It’s mostly medium to high speed corners, so you’re pretty much pedal-to-the-metal the whole way round which is a lot of fun.
“It’s always special to come out on top at a classic race like this so I remember winning here well. I love this track and I’ll be gunning for that top spot again.”
Despite his erratic display at the Hungaroring, Hamilton managed to extend his lead over Rosberg in the championship to 21 points. The German was battling for the victory with his compatriot Sebastian Vettel before he collided with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in the closing stages, and he crossed the line in eighth.
Rosberg said: “Hungary was a big disappointment and I’ve been itching to get back to racing ever since. When you’re in such a close battle for the championship, any opportunity to gain points is crucial and it’s up to me to take those chances – but also to make them for myself. That’s definitely the target for the second half of the year.
“We’re only halfway through the season, so it’s all still to play for. Spa is a fantastic circuit – a track that I think every driver enjoys and one that always produces spectacular racing. I’m looking forward to it.”
Mercedes have won eight of the 10 races so far this season and are 147 points clear of Ferrari in the constructors’ standings. Yet Wolff, mindful of the result in Hungary and last year’s coming-together at Spa, insists neither the drivers’ nor the constructors’ title races are foregone conclusions.
He said: “With 10 races down and nine to go, we enter the second half of the season with a stronger points total than at this stage last year, and yet our margin to the competition is actually smaller.
“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. We have all enjoyed a chance to recharge over the summer but we have also kept our minds focused on what lies ahead.
“There are still many chances to win or lose this battle and we must be relentless in our push to come out on top.”
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