With so many new features at Silverstone, between updates, new tires and uncertain weather, we can only hope for a different, unpredictable weekend. The music however, at least after this first day on the track, always seems to be the same. Indeed, the feeling is that right here we could see a Red Bull shining brighter than ever, at least with Max Verstappen. The Dutchman comes from a landslide victory in Austria, two if we also consider the Sprint. However he has never won at Silverstone yet. His teammate, Sergio Perez in Austria got closer but not before having faced a rather unnerving battle with Carlos Sainz's car. Ferrari has arrived in the UK seeking positive feedback on updates, remembering that Silverstone is one of the most difficult on paper for the SF-23. But the Maranello team is not the only one in having to collect as much data as possible. All teams brought new specifications to Silverstone. But let's see who to line up at Fanta F1 after this first day of free practice!
Who to line up at Silverstone
This could be the perfect weekend for only one driver who only improves his results: Max Verstappen. The RB19 and its strengths fit perfectly with one of the most technical circuits on the calendar. In qualifying, also taking into account the probable arrival of rain, the gap with the other teams could be smaller but in the race there is no problem.
At Ferrari, however, there is a bit of apprehension, especially about Charles Leclerc and he didn't take to the track in FP2 due to an electrical problem on his SF-23. The Monegasque was unable to test the new beam wing specification which Sainz instead tested in FP1. On paper Ferrari hopes to be able to compete with Aston Martin and Mercedes, but is still far from ideal performance. The signs from Friday are encouraging, the set up is good especially in the most difficult corners, i.e. the fastest. From these first impressions, Ferrari can be a candidate for Pole, but for the race there are many more unknowns. Not having seen Leclerc run is truly a shame.
As for the jokers the Williams he seems to have brought a 2.0 single-seater and could complicate life for some mid-table teams. Alexander Albon finished both FP1 and FP2 in the top 3. Sargeant also performed excellently in FP2. Furthermore, the team also received encouraging signs on the race pace. Will it be a flash in the pan or can we expect a good weekend from Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant?
But let's see the team we can deploy with 100 masi. If we want to take both Max and Fernando into the team we must necessarily take other less expensive and riskier drivers:
VERSTAPPEN – ALONSO – ALBON – SARGEANT – HULKENBERG
Our forecast advice
Let's get to the weekend forecast instead. Rain is expected on Saturday but the track should be dry on Sunday.
Safety Car in the race: YES
Virtual Safety Car: YES
Red flag: NO
Drivers distinguish between wet/full wet tires in the race: NO
Team double in the race: YES
Driver who starts from pole wins the race: YES
Number of teams to bring both riders into the top 10: 4
Number of cars forced to withdraw: 2
