Antonelli pins hopes on "cloud cover" at Silverstone

Although he displayed a strong performance on the opening day at the British Grand Prix, Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli conceded that he hopes for cooler weather as his car works better in lower temperatures.

Mercedes did not look to be on the pace of their rivals Ferrari and McLaren on the opening day at the British Grand Prix, with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli left to hope that temperatures drop as the weekend continues.

The Italian was the quicker of the duo, ending up sixth, half a second adrift of Lando Norris while the home hero was a further two tenths of a second slower which was only enough for P8 on the leaderboard.

Reflecting on his opening day at Silverstone, the Bologna-born driver conceded that while he "enjoyed being out there", he hopes that lower temperatures that are expected to feature the rest of the weekend will help his car manage the tyres better.

"Today was not the easiest Friday of the year we’ve had so far. The temperature was quite a bit higher than expected and that made looking after the tyres slightly more challenging. That said, the car felt decent, and I was happy with the overall balance.

"Silverstone is a great track, and I enjoyed being out there, exploring the limits, and pushing the car. There are clear areas for us to work on this evening, and for me to improve in my driving, so I’m excited to see what improvements we can make overnight.

"Tomorrow is forecast to be slightly cooler which should help us. We should have some cloud cover too which may help keep the track temperature lower.

"If we can make gains this evening, then our goal is still to get ourselves into the fight with those who looked strong today, such as McLaren and Ferrari. Let’s see what we can do," concluded Antonelli.