After the Hungarian Grand Prix, all F1 teams headed towards an obligatory three week break, allowing just one week for factory personnel to effect any modifications for the next GPs.

Many teams opted to continue with their work. Teams like Red Bull might afford a possible slight down, but Ferrari and Mercedes are definitely looking with angerat next Sunday’s GP in SPA-Francorchamps.

The Belgian Grand Prix will be another rubber issue. The fast layout and an undulation effect will definitely put Pirelli once more in the hot seat. In Budapest, the real danger was the heat. There was never any danger of lateral stress on the tyres.

Pirelli have already caused much controversy on and off the track, with many teams utilising the tyres’ anti-directional method to attain more heat, while Mercedes added camber on front wheels. Pirelli did commit a few errors here and there. F1 cars are out on track to race and not for a Sunday drive.

The cars already have restrictions on fuel consumption with race engineers mastering the exact amount of fuel to be taken on board to minimise weight.

There is a combined weight restriction of 642 kg (Car plus driver less fuel).

For this reason race engineers opt for a lesser weight in fuel, so as to be able to place variable ballast weights to improve the handling of the car according to specific tracks. This can have both a negative and a positive approach towards the handling of the car.

However, next Sunday, a low downforce and good top speed will play a major factor. Within these parameters Mercedes and Lotus might have the edge on the competition. Yet Toro Rosso, on various occasions, registered an exceptional top speed.

Red Bull, with a formidable Sebastian Vettel who seems to be propelled towards heading for a fourth world title, may afford not to take the top spot on the podium as long as he obtains valuable points.

The drivers’ musical chairs will continue to evolve. However, once Red Bull announce their driver’s line up, few places will be available. Felipe Massa has already been warned that his future with Ferrari is in the balance. Mercedes duo Hamilton and Rosberg are there to stay; Raikkonen possibly remaining at Lotus, unless we witness a surprise move to Ferrari to replace Massa. Having said that, French driver Jules Bianchi, currently with Marussia, (managed by Nicholas Todt) is very upbeat towards a move to the Maranello team.

Alonso might be moving to Red Bull, but can Red Bull afford such a driver. For the time being, let’s enjoy Vettel heading for a possible fourth world title.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.