Mercedes warn Ferrari: Silverstone comeback is on at British GP

British GP

Mercedes warn Ferrari: Silverstone comeback is on

Will the Silver Arrows resume dominance?

Matthew Scott

Thursday 11 July 2019 08:47

Toto Wolff has explained that Silverstone's track characteristics will play into Mercedes' hands, while the problems that impacted them last time out in Austria should not resurface.

The Silver Arrows' winning run was halted at 10 successive grands prix – one short of McLaren's all-time record – as Max Verstappen pipped Charles Leclerc to victory in a race that Mercedes never featured in for victory.

High temperatures at the Red Bull Ring forced Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton to run below their maximum throughout the race, but cooler conditions at Silverstone – as well as the circuit's variety of corners – put the champions back in confident mood.

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"Silverstone is a sensational track and the sweeping corners demand a lot from the drivers and the car," Wolff said.

"We've had some of our best performances this year on tracks with a wide range of corner speeds, so on paper we should be in relatively good form.

"But we've also had a number of reliability issues that could have easily robbed us of a considerable amount of points, so we know that we need to stay vigilant and perform to the best of our abilities if we want to be in the fight this weekend."

Wolff added: "Austria exposed the biggest vulnerability of our car and it meant we couldn't challenge for the win at any point of the weekend.

"We will continue to work on this to have a better fighting chance at future races in the heat.

"Fortunately, the English summer is known for more moderate temperatures, so cooling should not be a major issue for us in Silverstone - although we've learned in the past that the weather at the British GP can be highly changeable."