Hamilton relishing title fight resumption

LEWIS HAMILTON heads to Spa this weekend hopeful McLaren have found the key to unlocking the potential of his car.

Following a near four-week summer break, Formula One is back on the agenda for a seven-race conclusion to the season, starting with the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.

After their worst weekend of the year in Budapest just over three weeks ago, the race in the Ardennes forest is a vital one for all at McLaren if the team are ultimately to be successful.

Although Hamilton only trails championship leader Mark Webber by four points, the fact McLaren were trounced by Red Bull Racing at the Hungaroring was a major cause for concern.

The hope is Spa’s long straights will prove a benefit to McLaren for this weekend at least, whilst the belief is they will also be strong for the final European race in Italy next month.

If the team fail adequately to revive their challenge, it could leave them vulnerable for the final five fly-away races.

“Although it’s been great for the whole team to have had the factory shutdown and a well-deserved holiday, I think we’re all really looking forward to getting back into the title fight,” said Hamilton.

“The break gave us some valuable thinking time to consider how to improve our car for the remainder of the season.

“We head into these two races not only optimistic of some better results, but also of stronger pace for the rest of the year.”

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh is utterly convinced there are hidden secrets within the car they have yet to tap into that he feels could propel Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button back to the front.

Hamilton is also hoping to avoid any more reliability issues. His McLaren suffered a rare gearbox failure in Hungary that cost him points and his lead of the championship.

The 25-year-old is now itching to get back to winning ways again instead of continually staring at the rear of the Red Bulls.

“We’ve investigated the causes (of the gearbox issue), and think we’ve identified the reason and are confident it shouldn’t happen again,” added Hamilton.

“Personally, I think Spa is one of the great Formula One tracks, and one where I’d really love to win.

“I’ll be going flat-out to try and get us back into the hunt again in Belgium.”