McLaren aim to regain lost ground as F1 returns at Spa

Formula 1 returns after the summer break with the Belgian Grand Prix at one of the most exciting circuits in the sport, and McLaren are hoping that they will be able to regroup in the second half of the season and challenge the dominance of the Red Bulls.

After a poor result in Hungary when Lewis Hamilton failed to finish and Jenson Button came eighth, McLaren find themselves behind Red Bull in both the drivers and constructors championships.

The British team can also feel Ferrari breathing down their necks, and McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale said: "The gap to Ferrari and Red Bull was significant and that has obviously caused us to go back and take stock."

Hamilton currently trails Mark Webber by four points and Jenson Button is down in fourth, behind Sebastian Vettel.

Despite recent poor performances, Neale says the mood is good in the McLaren camp as they look forward to this weekend’s race at Spa in Belgium. "We are up for it," he said.

"It's is going to be a very close finish to the season and we want to win it as much as anybody so we'll just rise to the challenge."

McLaren know that they will have to improve their car to challenge but also admit that they are no nearer to coming up with an answer to Red Bull's controversial front wing design, which will come under scrutiny once again this weekend.

Meanwhile, the fifth man in the championship race, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, is raring to go after getting itchy feet during his summer break.

"Three weeks is more than enough time to unwind," he said. "I made the most of it to recharge the batteries in preparation for the final part of the season. Now, I really want to get back on track, but in a positive sense and in a calm way, without any feeling of anxiety."

If the highly-strung Spaniard is to make up the 20 point difference between himself and Webber he will need to avoid any more controversy, like that which surrounded the overtaking of teammate Felipe Massa in Hockenheim.

One man who knows that his season is all but over is seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher. In a rare show of humility he accepted that he was not on teammate Nico Rosberg's "level".

He has been beaten 10 times in qualifying this year by his younger team-mate and is 56 points adrift in the drivers’ championship.

When asked if he thought he was quicker than Rosberg, he said: "With how the car behaves at the moment I am not driving at his level. At least not in qualifying. In the race it's very equal."

He said he was working on changing the car so it suits him better. "True, every driver has his own driving style and you have to work with the team so that you feel comfortable with the package," he said. ·