Hughes: 'Mercedes need to worry about Red Bull and Verstappen in Hungary'

In Silverstone Lewis Hamilton was able to overtake the Dutchman in the battle for the championship, partly due to the crash of Max Verstappen. Mercedes had a better weekend than Red Bull in any case and also made up ground in the battle for the constructors' championship. Still, according to Mark Hughes, there is reason to be worried for Mercedes.

This all has to do with the circuit that will be used next weekend. In Silverstone high speed was important, and that was to the advantage of Mercedes. Hughes explains this in his article on Formula1.com.

"The high-speed corners of Silverstone were a great opportunity for Mercedes to counter Red Bull. After all, it is a circuit where aerodynamic efficiency rather than downforce is the most valuable feature, as many of the key corners such as Abbey, Copse and Maggots are now comfortably flat in qualifying for all cars."

Red Bull at an advantage in Hungary?

Mercedes adjusted their car accordingly, something they can easily do because the base of Mercedes' car is made for each circuit. Decisions are then made regarding the setup based on the track layout and the data collected.

"Because these corners no longer test the cars' downforce ceilings, straight-line speed becomes more important than usual. That's why Mercedes trimmed their car with a fairly shallow version of their Baku wing and were fastest at the end of the straights, as confirmed by the drop on Hangar Straight just before Stowe." Yet this advantage will not be there at the Hungarian Grand Prix, according to Hughes.

"At the Hungaroring, it's all about how much downforce can be put on the car and less about the trade-off between downforce and speed on straights. That is pre-eminently Red Bull territory. Mercedes will be worried because even at Silverstone, where there were some quibbles, the Red Bull was still faster."

Starting on Friday, we'll see if Max Verstappen and Red Bull actually have the advantage and if they can regain and extend their lead in both championships.