“This was really the only place he [Alonso] was quicker than us,” Hamilton
said. “In Monza he might be the same unless we fix a couple of things. But
generally we feel we have a stronger package than Ferrari.
“Maybe we’ll be able to unlock something before the next race, but if not then
I’m hoping that Singapore onwards we’ll be much stronger.
“When you come to these two circuits, this one [Spa] and the next one [Monza],
you get a downforce package and you’re kind of stuck with it. It either has
or hasn’t worked.
“We may improve in the next race, or we may be in the same position. We
won’t be any worse. From then onwards we’ll have the higher downforce
package that we had in the previous races, but it should be hopefully
improved again. So I’m hoping that we’ll be more competitive from then on.”
As the sport came to terms with the fact that the title was now Vettel’s to
lose, speculation regarding next year’s race seats began to calm down a
little.
Mark Webber’s claim to Australian television prior the race in Spa that a
decision had, in fact, been made over his replacement for next year, and
that it would be – as everyone originally assumed – his compatriot Daniel
Ricciardo, has convinced most observers that the second Red Bull seat is
spoken for, whatever team principal Christian Horner might say.
At the same time, Lotus team principal Eric Boullier said he was more
optimistic than ever that he could convince Kimi Raikkonen to stay at the
Enstone team.
“Yes I am,” Boullier said when asked if he was confident Raikkonen would be a
Lotus driver in 2014. “He loves this team, he likes to be here and he likes
the environment.”
Meanwhile, Jenson Button, who is still waiting for McLaren to activate an
option on his services for 2014, ruled out any possibility of a move away
from Woking.
The Englishman said that, after all the speculation and intrigue, he expected
little to change with regard to driver line-ups at the sport’s biggest
teams.
“It is always nice to be wanted but I don’t need it from other teams,” Button
said of speculation linking him with Ferrari and Red Bull. “I have it here
and I am very happy here.
“I am definitely not going to Red Bull. I will be here. I feel that Ricciardo
will go to Red Bull, Kimi Raikkonen will stay at Lotus and Massa will stay
at Ferrari for another year.”