Lewis Hamilton embarks on the second half of the season with renewed belief he can maintain his unique record of registering a win in every year of his career.

His first chance comes in the Ardennes forest at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix – and it is not beyond possibility that his wish could come true here, especially if Ferrari and Red Bull elect to take on new engines that would consign them to the back of the grid.

Whether they do or not remains to be seen but, regardless, a revitalised Hamilton is seeking to end his longest barren run of 14 races.

Lewis Hamilton is seeking to end his longest barren run of 14 races without a win this weekend

‘It is definitely getting closer,’ he said, reflecting the fruits of Mercedes’ hard toil.

‘Consistency has come up in recent races. The team have made good progress. We are pulling together and continuing to push.

‘The car has become more of a racing car and not what it was at the beginning of the year. The last race was the best showing we have had so far (Hamilton finished second and team-mate George Russell third in Hungary). That gave us a huge boost in our belief we can close the gap.’

Hamilton, who is sixth in the standings, spent part of the summer break visiting Namibia, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania. ‘I have been to Africa before but it was still the place I wanted to go more than anywhere,’ he said.

Hamilton spent part of the summer break visiting Namibia, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania

The seven-time world champion gets up close with a baby giraffe during F1’s summer break

‘It was a very grounding experience to see the incredible landscapes of the different countries we went to and humbling to see people live with nothing in a house made of literally twigs. No shoes, no socks, and going about their daily lives without social media and other stuff we have. They didn’t take anything for granted, which was quite beautiful to see.’

Daniel Ricciardo followed Hamilton on stage to make his first public appearance since McLaren announced on Wednesday that he would be dropped for next season with a year left on his contract.

The 33-year-old Australian conceded he may be forced into taking a sabbatical.

Meanwhile, Audi are expected to confirm their involvement in Formula One on Friday by buying into Sauber.