The Big Q: Will the start changes introduced in Belgium shake things up?
The Big A: That’s the intention.
“These measures will bring back the driver in full control of the car, enhancing races excitement and unpredictability,” the FIA asserted in July when it announced the changes to start procedures.
Clearly the hope is that the Formula One rule changes, which will halt drivers from receiving guidance on setting the clutch bite point ahead of race starts, and will bring more of what we saw at Silverstone and in Hungary, when both Mercedes cars got bogged down at the lights, paving the way for a pair of exciting races.
“What goes on from after this race is going to be very interesting,” mused world champion Lewis Hamilton in Hungary. “The starts might not change or they might be disastrous. Who knows?”
The Big Q: Will Lewis Hamilton do what he did this time last year?
Using the grievance he felt after Spa as a springboard 12 months ago, Hamilton took up victories in 2-H of the season with a passion, with Nico Rosberg winning just the once in Brazil.
This time around, the World Champion is better placed, 21 pts ahead of Mr. Rosberg rather than 11 pts behind, while the use of double points last year also ensured that the title battle ran to the wire.
If Mr. Hamilton’s Formula One domination then was such that a sudden derailment of his momentum in Abu Dhabi would have felt like a huge injustice, the thing about the world champion is that you never can tell what’s going to happen.
But the feeling now is that he is in his prime and if Hungary demonstrated that maturity does not mean compromising an aggressive approach, there have been lots of other races this season that have offered proof of a driver on top of his game.
The Big Q: Can Ferrari beat Mercedes again?
The type of winning run Mr. Hamilton went on last year is a familiar one in recent seasons, thanks to Sebastian Vettel. This time around Mr. Vettel has a different role to play, the dampener at the AMG MBZ party. It is a role he’s performed well enough so far and although hopes of a more concerted Ferrari challenge post-Malaysia proved over-optimistic, Hungary again showed that the world champions do not always finish on top.
Relative Formula One performance indicates that Mercedes’ dropping the ball remains the only way anyone else is going to get ahead, the Ferrari drivers could stand a chance.
The Big Q: What progress will McLaren-Honda make?
“We’re getting better, really we are. You might not be able to see it, but it’s happening” is being realized, finishing in a double points finish in Hungary.
But even there, as 5th-placed Fernando Alonso acknowledged, the result did not reflect their performance. Honda is promising a power upgrade in Belgium which, considering they are thought to be a good 130 bhp down on Mercedes, is what is most needed. It will be be required at Spa and Monza.
But when we consider the talk earlier in the season of McLaren-Honda having formula One Podium finishes under their belts by now it is best not to get too carried away in here. And Mr. Alonso and Jenson Button have insured themselves against precisely this sort of thing by saying winning is what matters and so they are already looking to next season. In that sense, the balance of Y 2015 effectively amounts to test sessions.
The Big Q: Will Fernando Alonso move to another category?
If looking for a moment that sums up Fernando Alonso’s season so far the sight of him pushing his McLaren-Honda back to the pits in Hungary is hard to beat because it demonstrates what many have refused to believe: that the Spaniard is not going to repeat his Y 2007-style and that he is committed to making the project work.
The same weekend, Mr. Alonso spoke of being tempted by other categories but the comments were more symptom of a frustration with the current formula One cars and the lack of testing McLaren and Honda need to get where they need to go.
They will have even less chance to test next season, but at least Mr. Alonso has the prospect of a faster, more aggressive-looking McLaren-Honda to drive in Y 2017 when the rules change.
That thought begs more questions of performance, expectations and Mr. Alonso’s patience. For now, though, the signs are that he is in it for the long term.
The Big Q: Can Monza survive the pinch?
Hopes that Monza, which 1st staged the Italian GP in Y 1922, can continue to host the race have been raised after the Italian parliament agreed to make a US$21-M investment from the local Lombardy region exempt from tax.
The current formula One contract expires in Y 2016 but the fact the deal was described as a “disaster” by Bernie Ecclestone tells us all we need to know about its worth to him. The loss of Monza would be a disaster for about everyone else with an interest in the sport.
A race-share with Imola has also been mooted, which would be better than nothing, but even a fan with just a passing interest in the sport’s history would know that half-measures are not what Formula One needs.
Formula One is back and this weekend’s Belgian GP is live on Sky Sports F1 .
Coverage on Sunday begins at 11.30a with the race underway at 1:00p