F1 wakes up to Spa Francorchamps

FORMULA One’s summer break resembled something more akin to hibernation than a holiday. Apart from Lewis Hamilton documenting his partying exploits and the mystery surrounding Jenson Button’s burglary, there has been little of note.

The drama of the restless Hungarian Grand Prix gave way to three weeks of sleep. After the slumber, now for Spa Francorchamps, one of the greatest races of them all.

Starting in Belgium this weekend, and in the following eight rounds, there is plenty to be decided before the season finale on November 29.

Are we in for chaos at the starts?

A fairly dramatic change to the race start procedure — banning outside interference and placing more autonomy in the hands of the driver — is predicted to shake things up a bit.

Hamilton fears yet more unpredictable getaways. And once Mercedes are in midfield, they are vulnerable. More control for the driver is good for the sport’s image, and good for uncertainty, something which has been severely lacking this season.

Is Vettel a serious contender?

A reborn Sebastian Vettel is lurking in Mercedes’ shadow should they start taking each other out, as they did in Spa last year. Vettel has Ferrari behind him, a team that will not hesitate to use team orders if they get a sniff of title glory.

Although Mercedes have at times been suspect operationally — Hamilton’s ill-fated pit stop in Monaco being the best example — the fundamentals are all in their favour. Unless something extraordinary happens, Vettel and Ferrari should be too far back.

Who is the future?

With Valtteri Bottas overlooked by Ferrari, who is the brightest spark in Formula One right now? Despite a suspect half-season, Daniel Ricciardo’s stock is still high, but the real excitement is about 17-year-old Max Verstappen. His debut has been staggering. Perhaps Ferrari have him in mind for 2017.

Can Formula One convince the world it is headed in the right direction?

Silverstone and Budapest were a welcome antidote to the doom and gloom which dominated much of this year. Talk of Formula One’s irreversible demise is premature, but much hinges on the next few months. A more radical vision for the cars and rules needs to be agreed for 2017 — the technical chiefs are working to a tight schedule — and the sport needs to find a way to stop it falling off the radar as it has done between races.