Hamilton wary of Belgian start

Ferrari Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany (C) overtakes Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain (L) at the start of the Hungarian F1 Grand Prix at the Hungaroring circuit, near Budapest, Hungary July 26, 2015. So emulating their blunders the second time in the succeeding races has low chance of happening again.

Asked if the events of Hungary made him think 2015 was his year, the reigning world champion replied: “Definitely not”.

Lewis Hamilton insists that there is no feeling of superiority within the Mercedes camp, despite the team leading both F1 championships and dominating in terms on race wins.

After his victory in Hungary, Vettel is now level with the late Brazilian triple world champion Ayrton Senna in third place on the all-time list of race winners.

But having since gone through a chastening final season at Red Bull, Vettel’s move to Ferrari and his revitalisation as the “Seb of old” has done wonders for his image.

2014 pole: Nico Rosberg – 2:05.591 (Mercedes).

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. Memories of 2014 will be fresh in everyone’s mind, casting Rosberg as the villain for this particular novella.

Six of the current drivers have won at Spa: Button (2012), Vettel (2011 and 2013), Hamilton (2010), Raikkonen (2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009), Massa (2008) and Ricciardo (2014).

Additional Storyline to Watch: McLaren’s improvements. Honda has promised an engine upgrade for Spa, and although another top-five may still be out of reach, it will be intriguing to see how McLaren fares this weekend.

Four cars were wiped out on the first lap three years ago in an accident blamed on Romain Grosjean while the famous ’98 race saw 13 casualties, most of whom were able to take the restart in a spare vehicle – something which the rules now do not permit. Armed with a new contract, Kimi could contend for a podium at a track he runs very well at.

Rosberg went on to take second place and the incident cemented his role as the villain in their rivalry. Red Bull (96 points) are fourth after a double podium finish for their drivers. Many wonder how the team will fare after the summer break when the series returns to action in Spa on August 23.