Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is one of the sportʼs all-time great racetracks, and its scheduling after the midseason break starts the second half of the season with a real buzz.
In 2015 the race is tipped to have an extra element of chaos thrown into the mix, with a midseason regulatory change to starting procedures coming into effect this weekend.
Further to the FIA’s tweaking of sporting regulation 20.1, which states that “the driver must drive the car alone and unaided”, the sport’s regulatory body issued a directive in June that banned all radio communication between the pit wall and its driver from the moment the car leaves its garage to join the grid until the race starts.
The purpose of the ruling is to prevent the tuning of the clutch bite point pre-race, forcing the driver to launch the car off the line by feel alone. The FIA banned the driver from operating the clutch setting manually before the race for good measure, ensuring race starts will be down to the driver alone.
The changes may sound minor, but the well-placed German publication Auto Motor Und Sport has reported that the FIA has been bombarded in recent weeks by teams seeking clarification on exactly what will and will not be permissible on those opening laps.
Some teams are concerned a particularly poorly set-up clutch could cause car problems later in the race, while others are concerned of first corner incidents at Spa’s notorious first-turn hairpin.
Mercedes in particular will be fretting about the rule change after both its cars recorded two horror starts at the last two rounds in Britain and Hungary, twice conceding the lead and once losing the race because of them.
With Ferrari snapping at the team’s heels after Sebastian Vettel stole victory from pole sitter Lewis Hamilton by leapfrogging him at the start, Mercedes’ drivers will be feeling the heat to bring the drivers championship home in the second half of the season.
Nico Rosberg said the first race under the new rule would prove fascinating.
“It's going to be a challenge, it really is,” he said. “Up to now it was so controlled by the engineers, who were doing the settings and everything.
“Now, to be completely on your own, it's a big change, so it will be interesting.”
Rosberg, who trails his championship-leading teammate Lewis Hamilton by 21 points, added that the rule may give him an advantage if he can master his Mercedes’ clutch before his teammate does.
“I like it because it gives me the opportunity to try and beat Lewis in that area,” he said.
"Whereas until now it's difficult because it was not really in the driver's hands."
Hamilton was less upbeat, having lost the most when he was beaten at the start by Sebastian Vettel last time out in Hungary despite sitting on pole, from where he executed a messy race to finish a lowly sixth.
“I imagine the starts in Spa will be a lot like [Budapest],” said Hamilton. ”It would have been a different race if I had a good start.
“I expect more unpredictable starts. I imagine it is going to get worse.”
While teams and drivers grapple with the regulation change, it is likely to be a boon for fans, who were treated to two scintillating races before the break because of inconsistent and unpredictable starts.
The second half of the season may yet come alive as Hamilton, Rosberg, and Vettel vie for the 2015 world championship.
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