As we look ahead to this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, one cannot help but reflect on last year's event, and in particular the (right-rear) tyre failure which caused Jenson Button to lose control and spear off to the right into Zsolt Baumgartner, who he was lapping at the time.

Although it was a nasty accident, it could have been much, much worse, for if Baumgartner hadn't been there to 'absorb' the BAR, the end result is unthinkable.

The reality is that there is still a serious question mark concerning Michelin. Following the brouhaha, and subsequent 'love in', we are still none the wiser as to true cause of Michelin's problems at Indianapolis, sparked by the accidents involving Toyota drivers Ricardo Zonta and Ralf Schumacher, exactly one year after Schumacher's virtually identical accident in a WilliamsF1.

Since then we have witnessed a number separate incidents, the WilliamsF1s in Turkey and the McLarens at Monza.

None of these failures has been fully explained, and worse, they continue.

We now head to Spa, and then on to Suzuka, two notorious circuits, which both demand the maximum from tyres and certainly more than Monza.

Thing is, are the Michelins up to it?