Despite being the team in form, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes the British Grand Prix will be more “symbolic” for Mercedes.
The Anglo-Austrian squad is currently on a five-race winning streak since Monaco with Max Verstappen claiming four of those victories, including a dominant duo of successes last time out in Spielberg.
That has allowed the Dutchman to open up a 32-point lead over Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship, much to the delight of Marko.
“Max now finally has a car where he can show his potential and compete for the title,” he told RacingNews365.com in an interview.
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“I think our title chances are very, very good. We have one competitor and that is Hamilton. It also proves how important it is to have a top driver and now everything comes together and we are constant.”
Now though, F1 heads to Silverstone, and while Verstappen did win last year’s 70th Anniversary GP in the UK, Hamilton and Mercedes have dominated winning six of the past seven British GPs.
“We have shown that we are competitive on all types of tracks, but our competitors are also strong,” Marko conceded.
“I think there will be circuits again where Mercedes is strong. It just needs different tyre compounds or different conditions and it can turn.
“But if we beat Mercedes at Silverstone, it looks very good for us.”
This weekend, there is also the added unknown of F1’s new Sprint Qualifying which will be used for the first time.
“If it was a normal race, the result would probably be decisive,” he said to Motorsport-Total.com.
“But because of the Sprint Qualifying for the first time and there is only one hour of practice, I wouldn’t call it a normal Silverstone race.
“That doesn’t mean we’re afraid of Silverstone, but Silverstone has a symbolic and psychological meaning, but more so for Mercedes than for us.”
Mercedes is also set to respond with an upgrade package for the W12 which could provide a boost in performance going forward.
“I’m afraid that the world championship won’t be decided until the last races,” Marko admits.
“Mercedes is just a strong team, and Hamilton – like Max – is an exceptional talent, but with more routine.
“It would be nice if it continues like this, but we don’t underestimate Mercedes.”