Great-Britain 2015 - GP Preview - Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton

I don’t feel like I ever really reached my peak in Austria. It wasn’t the smoothest of weekends for me – so to come away with P2 wasn’t a disaster in the circumstances. Silverstone, though… that’s different. I can’t describe the feeling I had last year – lifting that trophy again in front of the sea of fans on pit straight after so many years and after a tough start to the weekend too. It’s something that will always stay with me and nothing less than the same again will do. I’m lucky enough to have fans all around the world – but winning in front of your home crowd is something else. We have a fantastic car this year – even better than in 2014 – and it should suit this track, so I’ll be going all out to make the most of it. The guys back at the factories deserve to see a big home result and I want to see Silverstone absolutely rocking at the chequered flag!

Nico Rosberg

My week in Austria could not have come together much better. Apart from the mistake in quali, I felt right on top of things from the start and it was great to get another win. With the extra day in the car on Wednesday also, helping the team prepare for Silverstone, I feel ready to go full attack at a circuit I really enjoy. It should suit our car nicely with the focus on downforce and we learned some useful things during the test, so I’m sure we’ll be strong once again. The crowds are really incredible at this race and it’s always a great atmosphere. Of course, I know they have their favourite! But hopefully we can have a good fight and keep the fans on their feet – especially the guys from our factories who have built such an unbelievable machine! It’s great that they have a chance to come and see it in action, so this weekend is all about giving them a great reward.

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

Austria was a great event from many perspectives. We saw performance from the car which exceeded expectations, a flawless weekend in the garage and on the pit wall, plus strong races from both drivers. We are operating at a very high level right now and the aim is to replicate this at every race. We must stay on our toes, as the margins for success will only become smaller and any small slip will be jumped on by our opponents. The next race at Silverstone, with high demands on power and aero, should suit our car well. Hopefully this is the case and we can produce a top result at the home Grand Prix for Brackley and Brixworth. Both groups will have the opportunity to watch some of Friday practice live at the circuit and I’m sure will take pride in seeing the product of their hard work on the track – deservedly so. Between them and the fans, we have a duty to deliver a great show. Our two drivers both have strong records here and it’s a home race for Lewis also. We have all the ingredients for a really spectacular weekend of racing.

Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical)

After a successful week in Austria with a 1-2 finish on the Sunday and a productive test the following week, we come to Silverstone – one of our home Grands Prix. This circuit is, of course, very close to our factories in Brackley and Brixworth – providing a great opportunity for everyone to see the fruits of their labour in action. So, we’ll very much be hoping to put on a good performance for them and the fantastic British crowds. As a circuit, Silverstone has several quite different characteristics to those we’ve visited recently. It’s a track that is a good test of aerodynamics, rewards good downforce and is not at all demanding on the brakes – so a stark contrast to Canada and Austria in particular. In theory this should play to the strengths of the W06 – but of course we take nothing for granted. We’ve been preparing thoroughly for this race as always, with a few aerodynamic updates set to feature and a few things to be brought forward from the Austria test. It’s a big weekend for Lewis in front of his home crowd and also a venue where Nico has been very strong in the past, so fingers crossed we can put on a good show for the fans.