Mercedes faces challenge: 'Both drivers not particularly happy'

Mercedes and Red Bull have alternated in terms of pace today. In the morning Max Verstappen was still the fastest driver on track, but in the afternoon it was Lewis Hamilton. Andrew Shovlin tells about the difference in qualifying pace and the long runs.

"It's been an interesting day and we've covered quite a lot of ground as far as the setup work goes. In the morning we weren't particularly happy with the single lap work but the long run was well balanced. In the afternoon, the single lap was coming quite easily but the long run wasn't great and neither driver was particularly happy with the car", Shovlin starts in the official Mercedes press release.

So Mercedes and Red Bull actually alternated on Friday. Red Bull was satisfied with their fast lap in the morning and their long run in the afternoon. During the rest of the weekend, we will find out who found the optimal set-up for both qualifying and the race.

Mercedes faces a challenge

"The challenge tonight is to understand the effect of the changes we've been making and to find the right compromise between the low and the high fuel running", said Mercedes.

"We're warming up the simulator in Brackley for a busy night of setup work but we've got a good read on the issues today, so hopefully between the work here at the track and the work back there, we can make some good progress overnight", said the Mercedes engineer. Both teams will do everything they can over the next 24 hours to maximise the car for the decisive weekend in the championship.