On an almost completely inconclusive Friday at Silverstone, Red Bull had little to show for it, Ferrari was also discreet and the most noteworthy was Mercedes, going fast and suffering less from the kicks than usual
Friday (1) at Silverstone was one of those difficult to draw a more precise conclusion for the rest of the weekend. Several factors contributed to a chaotic day, the main one being the rain. Just like in Canada, the free practice sessions were badly damaged, since TL1 was almost entirely lost on a wet track and had little movement.
The great irony, however, is that TL1 would have been a good test for the teams, after all, qualifying tends to happen under similar conditions, with the forecast indicating rain almost the entire day on the English track. The empty session, however, indicates something that was also seen in Montreal: the teams' setup for Saturday should be dry, aiming for the race, generating a considerable chance of a lottery grid definition. And that is where the zebras may appear.
On Friday, for example, Valtteri Bottas emerged to lead TL1, while Lando Norris put McLaren in third in TL2, with Fernando Alonso also making the top-6 with his Alpine. At least in the case of the Englishman and the Spaniard, it is not to be ruled out that they may surprise when it is time for the starting positions.
With the context of potential zebras appearing and the huge chance of a fun qualifying in the rain and with the teams ready for a dry set-up, let's focus on the main teams. And we'll start with Mercedes, perhaps the only thing to escape a bit from the first day's festival of inconclusions.
Mercedes is a special attraction at Silverstone. It is Lewis Hamilton's team, George Russell's team, the eight-time consecutive World Championship winner and, of course, is looking for a reaction after a very bad start to the season. Mainly because it has been saying that it has solved the chronic problems related to the quics that have so whistled the team. In other words, it is the center of attention at the British GP.
And the start was positive. Hamilton was second in TL2, Russell came eighth - and he could have done more if he hadn't been hindered in fast laps - and, mainly: the car was bouncing less than it had been doing before. It still worries in two corners, yes, but the porpoising itself seems to have been overcome, at least at Silverstone. And that can really put the team in contention for bigger things.
"It was a good day. It still wobbles quite a bit, not so much on the straights, but in cornering it's quite hard. Not physically, but inside the car, in the tires and everything. We still have work to do, but it feels like a small step forward. Let's keep working", commented a cautious Hamilton. In any case, an infinitely more positive statement than the recent ones the seven-time champion gave after free practice.
But the statement that best sums up Mercedes' day - and F1 as a whole - came from Andrew Shovlin. The Mercedes engineering director was precise: the team improved, appeared higher on the timesheets, did well in the race simulation, but, yes, took advantage of the fact that Ferrari and Red Bull were very quiet.
"It really feels like we've taken a step forward, because normally we don't stay on top in the Friday sessions. But I suspect we'll see more from Ferrari and also a bit more from Red Bull, but the work we did in the long stints was encouraging," he said.
On the Red Bull side, after a Friday in which the team had neither Max Verstappen nor Sergio Perez in the top-3, the mood was one of concern. The Dutchman cited difficulties with the tires, while the Mexican pointed to aerodynamic problems. But the biggest criticism came from the consultant, Helmut Marko.
"We still haven't found the ideal setup, we haven't found the right balance of the car. We are slipping a lot, no grip in the low-speed corners. We are still not working in the right direction," said the Austrian, an important figure in the dome of the team that has been dominating the last stages of the championship.
Even with the statements in pessimistic tones, with the atmosphere of apprehension in the air, the few completed laps and the not so competitive times, Red Bull is far from being a wild card. The team was not bad in the race simulation and, especially, comes from pole with Verstappen also in the rain in Canada, which means it would not be a surprise if it emerged in front on Saturday.
But what about Ferrari? This is perhaps the one who hid the game the most on Friday. The leader of the day, it is true, but even Carlos Sainz's best lap gave the impression that there was more there. So much so that the Spaniard made a little mistake in the spin. A lot of time on medium tires, a lot of race simulation and, in the end, the Italians came out of free practice very calm.
Ferrari is well aware that it needs to win the British GP by any means necessary. The recent run-in by Verstappen and Red Bull has hurt a team that has lost its hand in title contests, but can still find its way back if it wants to contend in 2022.
With rain forecast in the 80% range for qualifying time and very close to that for TL3, Ferrari not only depends on its car, but also needs its drivers to be on a great day. In a Verstappen-like circumstance, it is another chance for Charles Leclerc, the pole man, to show what he is made of.
With Red Bull half-beating heads, Ferrari discreet and Mercedes upping the ante, the always chaotic Silverstone is beginning to draw what could be F1 2022's best weekend. In the fight for the title, Leclerc knows well that Verstappen is very hard to beat in the conditions that Saturday should present, but he can steal his rival's favoritism if he gets another pole. It's another one of those crucial classifications.
GRANDE PRÊMIO follows LIVE and INREAL TIME all the activities of the British GP weekend. On Saturday, TL3 opens the day at 8am (GMT-3), while qualifying starts at 11am.