Mercedes didn't look as fast as they wanted to be during the first free practice session at the Silverstone circuit. Max Verstappen was seven tenths faster than Lewis Hamilton, but team boss Toto Wolff explained that Mercedes were focusing on the longruns.
During the team press conference, Wolff first explains that the upgrades Mercedes brought to Silverstone will not change a lot. Mercedes hope to narrow the gap to Red Bull Racing, but he'll be helped by the fact that the Mercedes is a lot better suited for Silverstone than for the Red Bull Ring.
Mercedes focused on the long runs
"Our car is happier here. The drivers were also quite happy with the car," explained Wolff according to Motorsport-Total.com. The Austrian continued by saying that he finds it interesting to see how different top teams use their time.
"We focused on the longruns, they will be important tomorrow and the day after," said Wolff. This is another option that Red Bull, for example, did not choose with Verstappen. The Dutchman seemed to be fully committed to qualifying speed.