McLaren set sights on constructors' second

Williams seemed certain to finish at least second after their early season form, but after a disappointing Hungarian Grand Prix McLaren appear to have taken a leap forward in performance.

Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug said: "We lost quite a few points at the start of the season but if you look at the statistics from Monaco onwards, Ferrari has more points than us but we have scored more than anyone else. We have improved but catching up 26 points in four races, if you calculate it, means that we need a bit of help with other people dropping out."

Williams technical director Patrick Head, meanwhile, commented: "We are disappointed to qualify fourth and fifth here at Spa. There is no pretence that our car is as capable as the Ferrari but we certainly want to be able to compete with McLaren and finish ahead of them in the constructors' championship, preferably extending our position rather than holding onto it.

"But McLaren was strong in qualifying here and I would say they seem to lose less performance between qualifying and race than us, so when one looks at their qualifying position one has to think that they are going to race very well. Basically, the realistic challenge for us is to try to beat them."