Honda and Ferrari engine slower in 2020 at Silverstone than in 2019

The Silverstone circuit is normally already a good circuit for teams with a Mercedes engine, and that seems to be the case this year. The teams with a Honda and Ferrari engine are even slower in Great Britain this year compared to last year.

It is already a unique season for the teams, due to the closure of the factories and other measures concerning the coronavirus. Nevertheless, the teams and engine manufacturers have had a few months to work on their car and power source. It is clear that some parties have used that time better than others.

The difference between Mercedes and the rest became remarkably clear again during qualifying for the British Grand Prix. A difference of more than a second between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc was made by Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

This is not very strange when looking at the differences in lap times between 2019 and 2020. The teams with a Mercedes engine have become 0.886 seconds faster, Honda is 0.024 seconds slower compared to last year and Ferrari are 0.594 seconds behind. Renault has found a bit more speed, with an improvement of 0.226 seconds.

A few comments have to be made about those figures. The closure of the factories has, of course, played a big role, but the British Grand Prix is now the fourth race of the year instead of the tenth. Teams and engine manufacturers have therefore had less time to make upgrades. Still, the difference between Mercedes and direct competition remains strikingly large.