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MPH: Mark Hughes on...

F1's summer break isn't all bad news for those trying to catch Red Bull, because the rest of the season's tracks should still play well to McLaren's and Ferrari's strengths

Can't be nice heading into the summer break if you're McLaren or Ferrari, having just suffered a 1s per lap drubbing from Red Bull and with the shutdown not permitting you to respond. Lewis Hamilton made the point that the enforced holiday period has arrived at exactly the wrong time for them.

But is it as bad as all that? Sure, there's not enough time to have a big aero update on the car by Spa, but that's not necessarily such a disaster. The McLaren will almost certainly be quick at Spa regardless, courtesy of the long straights of sectors one and three. It may well lose 1s to the Red Bull in the fast downhill sweeps of the middle sector - and just the thought of the RB6 through Pouhon sends shivers down the spine - but the Mac's straightline advantage should just about put it on a par overall, and what's more, should make it more raceable.