George Russell: Mercedes “at the mercy of weather” after tricky Friday at F1 British GP

George Russell has conceded that Mercedes’ chances of a strong weekend at the British Grand Prix depend on cooler weather conditions.

The highest-placed Mercedes driver in FP2 at Silverstone was Kimi Antonelli.

The Italian was sixth-fastest in the final classification, over 0.5s down on McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Russell fared slightly worse in the second Mercedes, ending up in eighth place, nearly two-tenths off his teammate.

Mercedes have typically performed worse in hotter conditions throughout the season.

With Saturday and Sunday at Silverstone expected to be significantly cooler, Russell remains optimistic that Mercedes will find an upturn in performance.

“Well after today, not very close but it’s been a little bit warmer today. The track was 40 degrees and the rest of the weekend it cools down,” he said.

“It’s a little bit frustrating for us that every single we’re at the mercy of the weather and we need to improve that, especially with now we’re entering the summer months.

“We’re doing everything we can to improve it. I think our fortunes will turn slightly through the rest of the weekend and it will come towards us.

“We can’t be at the mercy of the weather, and we are right now.”

Mercedes “didn’t feel too bad” - Antonelli

Antonelli enjoyed a more positive session in the Mercedes W16.

While the 18-year-old will have to serve a three-place grid penalty after crashing Max Verstappen out of the opening lap of the Austrian Grand Prix, he was content with his Friday.

“It was not the easiest of the day,” Antonelli explained.

“I am having quite a lot of pleasure driving around here. Today, temperatures were quite a bit higher than expected. Overall, I have to be honest, the car didn’t feel too bad.

“Obviously, there’s a bit of work to do and on the driving as well. I think tomorrow is hopefully going to be a lot cooler - that’s what the forecast is saying. Let’s see what we can do.”

Ahead of Sunday’s race, Mercedes sit third in the F1 constructors’ standings, one point behind Ferrari.

Mercedes claimed their first victory of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix in June.

Cooler track temperatures and a more suited track layout played into Mercedes’ strengths.