Formula 1 bursts back into life this weekend as the Belgian Grand Prix marks the return of the sport for the first time in three weeks.

Of course the world of formula 1 descends upon the magnificent Spa-Francorchamps with Sebastian Vettel threatening to run off into the distance with the World Championship safely tucked under his arm for the second year in a row.

Talk throughout the three week summer break has centred around the ability of the chasing pack to close Vettel’s gap at the top of the standings – despite having only won one race in the last five the gap to Mark Webber in second place is 85 points, the biggest it has been all season.

The German won’t have it all his own way as he did in the first half of the season, especially at Spa; the cooler conditions and high speeds should combine to negate the Milton Keynes-based outfit’s advantage once more just as it did in Hungary and Germany in the previous two race – races that McLaren were able to pick up back to back wins in.

Given Lewis Hamilton’s inclination to go through tyres quicker than most other drivers on the grid, the cooler conditions expected in Belgium should play into his hands quite nicely – although that was something said about the Hungarian Grand Prix and the 2008 World Champion came away with little from there.

“Hamilton’s aggressive racing style should suit Spa perfectly, and with the memory of being stripped of a win in Belgium in 2008 still fresh in his memory, the 26-year-old will be hopeful of making amends this weekend.”

Hamilton picked up victory last year and is a strong contender this year, but much will depend on his strategy and his management of the medium and soft compounds nominated by Pirelli for this race.

His aggressive racing style should suit Spa perfectly, and with the memory of being stripped of a win in Belgium in 2008 still fresh in his memory, the 26-year-old will be hopeful of making amends this weekend.

Such is the high speed nature of Spa that the tyres will be put under incredible loads and we could see some more frantic action in the pits once more, something Hamilton will be keen to get right this time around after his disastrous race at the Hungaroring.

Ferrari have looked increasingly strong over recent weeks and should suit Spa well, and having picked up their first victory of the year at Silverstone, will be keen to add more wins as the season progresses.

That will obviously depend on the performance of Fernando Alonso who somehow came home in 2^nd in Hungary despite numerous spins. The Spaniard, along with an improving Felipe Massa will be looking to score big points this weekend.

There is a good chance of rain this weekend and by know we should know what that means – Jenson Button is in with a shout. The former Brawn driver demonstrated his talents in the wet during the Hungarian Grand Prix and all his race wins for McLaren have come in the wet so he could feature this weekend if the heavens open – but he must have a good day during qualifying like he did in Hungary if he is to give himself a platform to build upon.

The omens do bode well however for the rest of the grid. Red Bull have never won at Spa and nor has Vettel.

The weekend will be a special one for Michael Schumacher, who will celebrate his 20^th year in the sport having made his debut at Spa in 1991. The German hasn’t stood atop of the podium in Belgium since 2002 but could be a contender for his first podium since returning to the sport in 2010 if his charge from 21^st to 7^th last year is anything to go by.

Schumacher and his team-mate Nico Rosberg could be in for an interesting battle in the midfield with Renault, who have replaced Nick Heidfeld with Bruno Senna for the race, in the bid to become the best of the rest on the grid.

Spa and the Belgian Grand Prix remains one of the favourites of the drivers thanks to the immense challenges it provides and the outcome of this race is one of the most unpredictable of the season. But one thing is for sure, the likes of Hamilton, Button, Webber and Alonso need to make sure Vettel finishes well down the grid if the championship race is to stay alive.

Why not check out our video and gallery sections of the site? The gallery includes everything from a review of the season so far to the best pictures of Jenson Button’s girlfriend Jessica Michibata .

Make sure you check out our  Tweeting Around The Circuit articles too as well as Back In The Day – Formula1fancast’s stroll down memory lane bringing you the best moments in F1‘s history.

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