F1 Returns for Final Part of Season

The Formula 1 annual summer break has basically ended, and the teams are on their way to Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium for the return to hostilities. And boy is it ever picking up, this season: A week after Spa comes the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, and in the week after that, three teams – Ferrari, Mercedes and Force India – will hold their young driver test at Magny-Cours, in France. The final part of the season starting this week, in fact, may used to have looked like a formality of a few races, with the title already almost in the bag for a team and a driver, but this year, the longest season ever in Formula One, with 20 races, there remain 9 races to the end of the season. That is almost half the races, and they are taking place in almost every continent. A mini season, really. And far from clear who will win the title – although Fernando Alonso is a favorite, as he holds a clear lead.