Formula 1 - George Russell blames Formula 1 frustration: Mercedes always has to rely on the weather

"Not the easiest day we've had," said Kimi Antonelli, describing Formula 1 Friday at Silverstone. Mercedes lagged behind McLaren and Ferrari in the two practice sessions, and Max Verstappen was also faster than the Silver Arrows in FP2. "After today, I feel far from the front," George Russell agreed with his teammate. Nevertheless, there's no reason for the Brackley-based team to write off the British Grand Prix prematurely.

Cool, rainy, and varied – that's how fans of the premier class usually know the Silverstone Circuit. But on the Friday before the race in Great Britain, there was something quite rare: continuous bright sunshine and summer temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius. What pleased the fans in the stands was the Achilles heel of the Mercedes car.

"Every weekend we have to hope for the weather to be kind. It's so frustrating," complained Russell after the second practice session at his home Grand Prix. The performance of the W16—like its predecessor—is strongly dependent on the temperatures on the race weekend. In cool conditions like those in Canada , the car thrives; in hot conditions like those in Saudi Arabia, it practically devours the tires.

During practice at Silverstone, the W16's fundamental problem became very clear once again: In the first session at midday, the asphalt and air were a few degrees cooler than later in the afternoon. Russell and Antonelli were able to stay with the frontrunners and were, at times, the fastest in the field during the first half hour. But the track temperature of around 37 degrees was a bit too much for the Mercedes cars, and they finished only fifth (Russell) and ninth (Antonelli).

In the second practice session, the Silverstone Circuit then topped the 40-degree mark. The W16 could no longer match the times of the other top teams, and the drivers were in the lower part of the top 10 field. Antonelli managed to salvage sixth place, half a second behind Lando Norris's fastest time. Russell was beaten by Lance Stroll by a tenth of a second, finishing eighth.

"Especially now in the summer months, we have to do everything we can to improve that," Russell pleaded. In the first six races of this year's season, the Briton has finished on the podium four times. Since then, Mercedes has only managed a top-three finish in cold Montreal, when Russell won the Canadian GP and Antonelli finished third.

Nevertheless, both Mercedes drivers believe the tide will turn. "Luck will still be on our side," Russell is confident. "We still have work to do, but the car didn't feel bad," Antonelli said positively. Indeed, the weather forecast for the rest of the weekend is colder than Friday's.

That's what the Silver Arrows must hope for if they want to challenge Ferrari or McLaren . Their long-run pace in the second free practice session was anything but impressive, as the graph below shows. They lost ground to the competition, especially in Turns 7 (Luffield) and 15 (Stowe). Ferrari is clearly superior in the fast turns.

But a dramatic turnaround from Friday to Saturday is nothing new for Mercedes at Silverstone. Last year, on practice day, it looked like a McLaren fest on the 5.891-kilometer track, with Russell and his then-teammate Lewis Hamilton trailing in practice. But then the 27-year-old took pole position and Hamilton took the win.

Antonelli could also achieve a lot at the Silverstone Circuit. Last year, he took his first Formula 2 victory here in the rain. The rookie feels good on the asphalt again this year: "I've been pushing since the first practice session to build my confidence. So far, it's working quite well. I hope we can maintain this momentum tomorrow."

George Russell, however, doesn't want rain at the British GP. "The rain tires wear out more than the regular ones, so a wet race wouldn't be good. Cold and dry would be best," the Briton said, defining his ideal conditions. Whether his dreams will come true and he can claim his first victory in front of his home crowd remains to be seen. Rain is forecast for Sunday at Silverstone.

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