Lewis Hamilton estimates UK’s chances of success in new promising weekend amid Red Bull win

Mercedes arrives with upgrades for a lap that has traditionally gone strong, but will that be enough to end the Red Bull win ?; Hamilton, meanwhile, also talks about how English players Rashford, Sancho and Saka inspired him to respond to racist online abuse

Lewis Hamilton admits that Mercedes should ‘win’ both Saturday and Sunday in the new weekend of the British Grand Prix, as their goal is to regain momentum from the formed Red Bull in the fight for the 2021 title.

Hamilton and the Brackley-based Mercedes team are heading to the home tournament after last winning the race two months ago in Spain, and rival Red Bull has since a string of five consecutive wins – four of which went to Max Verstappen, who leads Drivers ‘Championship with 32 points.

It offers a maximum of 29 points, three more than usual, to the Silverstone driver thanks to the addition of Saturday’s F1 Sprint event – a 17-lap race that offers three points to the winner and sets the net for Sunday’s race – as part of a new-look race weekend Hamilton says feels “excited.”

But he is also aware that clearing their recent deficit to Red Bull will not be an easy task, despite adding changes to Mercedes ’W12 car.

Verstappen’s two recent victories at back-to-back events in Austria were particularly highlighted, although Mercedes are optimistic that the quick catches of Silverstone, the round in which they have won seven of the last nine attempts, will be more favorable for their car.

“We have to win both races at the end of the day,” Hamilton told Sky Sports from Saturday’s sprint and Sunday’s race.

“It’s not just the first, it’s the second.

“But then again, it’s going to be hard. Do we have a single [lap] the pace they have? It’s unlikely, but we might be surprised [in qualifying]. Who knows?

“I’m trying to stay hopeful and positive. I’m really proud of all the men and women in the factory who worked so hard to bring this upgrade here. It’s a step in the right direction and I just hope we can take advantage of it.”

Speaking later on the track during the Sky F1 Show in front of fans returning to Silverstone on Thursday, Hamilton said he and Mercedes did everything they could to maximize performance.

“I’m enjoying this season probably more than most because we have the challenge we had at the beginning of the year, and that brings me and the team together,” he told Sky F1 scientist and former teammate Jenson Button.

“It’s hard, man, and we love the challenge. Of course, the last few races we’d like to have closer races with the Red Bulls; the ones we had at the beginning of the year were great.

“But we work as hard as we can, we literally try not to leave a stone unturned. From the driver’s point of view, I try to push the boundaries of my training, my mental approach, as I am a friend, son and teammate to the guys I work with.

“I hope he can really show that in the next races.”

The UK Grand Prix starts on Friday, with the opening of training at 2.30pm before the usual qualifying session, which takes place a day earlier than usual, at 6pm. The live racing weekend is on Sky Sports F1.

Hamilton’s praise for England’s ‘incredibly inspiring’ players

Earlier this week, Hamilton condemned the online racist abuse suffered by England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after missing penalties in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.

Hamilton, a leading voice in the fight against racism and whose involvement in the reasons for the lack of diversity in motorsport published his findings this week and made 10 recommendations for change, spoke of his admiration for the way the English team collectively and individually tackled the situation and expressed hope for the future.

“Love conquers all,” he said. “We have a long way to go, we have to grow out of these experiences, but I was really, really proud of how the England team performed and how they handled it as a team.

“Everyone comes from different backgrounds, but how they handled it as a team, and especially those individual players who were in the line of fire. How they did it, it’s full of them. Incredibly inspiring.

“As I said, there were some really, really positive reactions from people and so many people across the country had massive support.

“We’re a proud people, but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep learning.”