McLaren can push for the title

Formula One returns this weekend following its summer break.

Eleven races have passed in the 2012 Formula One World Championship with the next nine races set to be some of the most intriguing Grand Prix's in recent seasons.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso may have established a lead in this seasons Drivers Championship, but the chase for F1 crown and the Constructors championships would appear to be wide open.

All the drivers and all the teams are capable of strong points finishes and the one who continues into the second half of the season on the most consistent footing will stand a chance of stealing the points lead from the Spaniard.

In the drivers championship, Alonso holds a 40-point lead over Mark Webber, who himself is 2-points clear of team-mate Sebastian Vettel, who is 5-points clear of Lewis Hamilton, who is a single point ahead of Kimi Raikkonen.

In the constructors championship, with Felipe Massa struggling for performance for Ferrari, the Italian manufacturers are lagging behind.

Red Bull hold a 53-point lead over McLaren, who are a single point ahead of Lotus, who are 3-points clear of Ferrari.

The first half of the season ended with McLaren on top and 2008 Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton hopes that his form will continue now the sport has returned from its holiday.

'My win in Hungary was a fantastic way to go into the summer break: it had the added bonus of sending the whole team away for their holidays with a positive feeling in their hearts,' Hamilton told Autosport Magazine.

'It's also given me the hope and assurance that we can come back for the final nine races with a real chance to go for both world championships.'

'Given the unpredictability of the sport, I think it's still difficult to predict accurately who'll win the next grand prix, but I reckon the coming few weeks ought to give us a much clearer idea of the destination of the world title,'

'It's going to be an extremely tough, tactical and interesting finale to the season. There's no team with a clear advantage - although we're all pushing hard to catch Fernando's points tally in the drivers' championship – so there's still everything to play for.'

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