Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will be striving to ensure normal service is resumed in the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend after a miserable race in Hungary for the Mercedes duo.

World championship leader Hamilton could only finish sixth in Hungary after starting the last race before the mid-season break on pole, while Rosberg was back in eighth spot as Sebastian Vettel secured his second win as a Ferrari driver.

Vettel and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen passed the front two in the first two turns as Mercedes endured a day to forget at the Hungaroring last month.

Reigning champion Hamilton was down in 10th when he went off the track in the opening lap, then worked his way back up to fourth before a safety car came out following a front-wing failure that sent Nico Hulkenburg into the barriers on the 42nd lap.

Things went from bad to worse for Hamilton when he lost an end plate in a collision with Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and was back in 13th, but there was a silver lining for the Englishman as he ended up gaining points on Rosberg rather than losing his overall lead after his team-mate's car was caught by Ricciardo's front wing and the German suffered a puncture.  

Hamilton and Rosberg will be hoping to avoid such drama at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps track, where Hamilton will start Sunday's race holding a 21-point advantage, with Vettel a further 21 points adrift

Ricciardo won this race last year, with Hamilton's last victory in Hungary coming in 2010 and Rosberg yet to top the podium in Spa. 

AROUND THE PADDOCK 

There was disappointment for Raikkonen when he retired in Hungary after such a promising start, but the Finn will head to Spa with a spring in his step after Ferrari announced he will stay on next year. 

Speculation over Raikkonen's future was ended on Wednesday, when it was confirmed he will again line up with Vettel next season. The 35-year-old said it was a "dream" to remain with Ferrari and will aim to make it a week to remember at a circuit where he has won four times. 

Mercedes hold a huge 147-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors' championship, but team boss Toto Wolff warned they must be "relentless" in their pursuit of more glory after a setback in Hungary.

Daniil Kvyat and Ricciardo finished second and third respectively last time out, but team principal Christian Horner does not expect such a strong showing from Red Bull this weekend unless wet conditions play a part. 

PRE-RACE SOUNDBITES

​Championship leader Hamilton said: "Spa is a great track to kick off the second part of the season too. It's one of the really great, old-school circuits with so much history. It's mostly medium to high speed corners, so you're pretty much pedal to the metal the whole way round which is a lot of fun. It's always special to come out on top at a classic race like this so I remember winning here well. I love this track and I'll be gunning for that top spot again."

Rosberg stated: "Hungary was a big disappointment and I've been itching to get back to racing ever since. When you're in such a close battle for the Championship, any opportunity to gain points is crucial and it's up to me to take those chances – but also to make them for myself. That's definitely the target for the second half of the year. We're only halfway through the season, so it's all still to play for. Spa is a fantastic circuit – a track that I think every driver enjoys and one that always produces spectacular racing. I'm looking forward to it."

Ricciardo said: "To win the Grand Prix last year was really, really cool. It was pretty tough to drive. When Spa's sunny, it's great. A proper old-school Grand Prix for the real racing enthusiast. Great atmosphere, great fans, great beer and definitely the place to come if you like the frites. Only drawback is that it'll be 30 degrees C with blue skies one minute and hosing down the next."

THE CIRCUIT  

Spa is the longest circuit on the Formula One calendar at just over seven kilometres, with the famous Eau Rouge corner being the most renowned section of the legendary track.

With a combination of lengthy straights and testing fast corners, Spa tends to be one of the most popular tracks among the drivers with more than 70 per cent of laps taken at full throttle.

WEATHER FORECAST 

Temperatures in the region of 20 degrees are forecast, but tends to be very difficult to predict the weather in the Ardennes region - where conditions can be so changeable.

GRAND PRIX GOLD 

There was carnage in the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix when David Coulthard lost control of his McLaren in wet weather prompting a mass pile-up which led to a red flag. 

While it was race to forget for Coulthard, it was one to remember for Damon Hill as claimed Jordan's first F1 victory, with Ralf Schumacher making it a famous one-two for the team.