Webber in pole position as F1 returns from its break
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Mark Webber will be looking to build on his win in Hungary and stretch his overall lead in the championship as Formula One's summer break comes to a close with the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Red Bull driver has won two of the past three races to lead McLaren's Lewis Hamilton by four points in the standings with 161 points. Teammate Sebastian Vettel is third with 151 points, Jenson Button of McLaren is on 147 and Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso is next with 141.
Webber has rallied despite problems within the team to overhaul Hamilton and Vettel, taking advantage of the championship's fastest car to show he's a capable No 1 for Red Bull.
Red Bull has set the pace all season, but Webber has been able to turn that into points better than Vettel. The Australian driver expects the car to maintain its season-long edge at one of F1's most iconic races in the rural Ardennes countryside.
"I expect we can do well there. Whether it's as well as I did in Budapest is a question for everyone," Webber said. "But I know our team is ready."
All the drivers are looking forward to tackling high-speed corners like Eau Rouge and Pouhon come Sunday's 44-lap race. Vettel is worried about whether Red Bull can command in the straights, however.
"Our weakness will be the long straights and, with uphill sections, too, we know it won't be easy for us," the German driver said. "But I am optimistic about the race."
McLaren will be keen to rebound from the disappointment of Hungary, where Hamilton failed to finish due to a gearbox problem and Button was eighth. McLaren has not won a race since Hamilton triumphed in Canada.
"We know that we have some catching up to do. It's still important that we regain the momentum we'd reached earlier this season," Button said. "While I don't think these two European races will be pivotal to the title fight, it will be harder to introduce bigger upgrades to the car at the end-of-season fly-aways so it's important for the whole team that we score well in both events."
With the Italian GP closing the European leg of the calendar on Sept 12, points will be important now as drivers and team crews return refreshed from a four-week break.
