Eyes down for the run-in as F1’s season reconvenes at Spa | Giles Richards


Sebastian Vettel has a 14-point lead in his Ferrari but the second half of the racing year sees the majority of races favouring the Mercedes’ setup and Lewis Hamilton

Refreshed, recharged and ready to go again, Formula One enters the second half of the season with the prospect of the remaining nine races proving just as enthralling as the first 11. Where better to reignite the fight than the magnificent challenge of Spa, where Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel will recommence a contest that is likely to go down to the last race?

Vettel has the advantage, leading Hamilton by 14 points, but on race wins the pair are even with four apiece. Vettel deserves his lead. He is always at his strongest when he is confident in the machinery around him and Ferrari have given him a car he can work to maximum effect. It has proved quick out of the box on Fridays, forgiving and easy to set up, while the German has revelled in how hard he can push it through the corners.

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