Wolff expects differences in sprint race: 'Softs and mediums equally fast'

F1 News

17 July 2021 at 14:10
Last update 17 July 2021 at 15:05
  • GPblog.com

The second and final free practice at Silverstone didn't look like a real practice, but more like a warm-up for Saturday afternoon's sprint race. The drivers were not aiming for fast lap times but were already preparing for the sprint race. Also because no major changes could be made to the car, it was all about making metres.

Mercedes drove a lot, also on different tyres. Toto Wolff explains to ORF that they learned a lot from that. "It looked like there was little difference between the softest and medium tyres. I think the red tyres are very good, also for the drivers at the front."

Wolff still has question marks

To best prepare for the 17 laps of the sprint race, Mercedes collected important data today. "We drove thirteen laps with that. It wouldn't surprise me if we see a lot on the red tyre, but I could be wrong about that". Wolff doesn't know which tyres the other 18 drivers are going for.

For, where lap times give away somewhat how hard a driver is pushing, fuel amounts and engine settings are unclear to the teams. "It's difficult to get anything out of practice. You don't know who is driving with how much fuel, you can only compare your own drivers. That's also the only thing other teams can do," Wolff concludes.