Mercedes proud after Budapest: 'Strongest position so far this season'

The past two Grands Prix have seen Mercedes take the lead in both championships. Largely due to no points for Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in Silverstone and only two in Hungary respectively, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton are now ahead in the title race for both championships.

"I think a few races ago, we probably would have been looking at this and thinking, this is going to be really tough going into a break, not in the position we wanted to be in the championship and with a car which felt we were clearly second best," explained technical director Mike Elliott in the debrief from Mercedes.

Mercedes going into the summer break in good spirits

"We have obviously had some good results in the last two races, luck has definitely gone in our favour and we are sitting in a good position in the championship." According to Elliott, the team has surprised itself with the speed shown. "I think what’s really encouraging is the pace we have shown in the last two races. Particularly the qualifying in Budapest. To qualify one and two and by a reasonable margin, that’s the strongest position we have been in so far this season."

Although Elliott can see that Mercedes are feeling good right now, he is still keeping an open mind for the races after the summer break. "The rest of the season is definitely going to be tough, it is going to be a real fight. I think it’s going to be one of those classic F1 seasons, hopefully one we win, but I think it’s going to be fantastisch for the viewers to watch," Elliott concluded.