1. Mercedes brings the upgrades 

After some confusion surrounding Mercedes’ F1 development plans for 2021 versus 2022, the team has ✱confirmed that it will be introducing a small upgrade for this week𒀰end’s British Grand Prix. 

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andreꦍw Shovlin has described the team’s upgrade as “quite exciting”. 

The updates are expected to be the final ones added🔴 to this year’s W12, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff ౠrevealing at the Austrian GP that the team is not conducting any wind tunnel work on its 2021 car.

The reigning world champion’s development focus has already shifted onto the 2022 rules revolution and an all-new car that is set to be revealed in full-size for the first time on꧂ Thursday at Silverstone.

While Wolff was keen to play down the size of the update and its potential performance gains, Mercedes💫 will be desperately hoping it can help swing the title race momentum back into its favour after a run of five consecutive d♑efeats to Red Bull. 

Mercedes subsequently heads🔯 into this weekend’s 10th round of the season trailing Red Bull by 44 points, while Lewis Hamilton is 32 adrift of championship leader Verstappen. 

The British GP could end up being a major turning point in this year’s championship fi🧔ght.

2. F1 gets experimental 

This weekend will also mark the first try out of F1’s experimental new sprint race format - dubbed ‘sprint qualifying’ - that will make ꧂its debut at Silverstone. 

It will be the first time that F1 has ever had a second race on the same weekend as a gra♍nd prix, with the 100km sprint race determining the grid for Sunday’s showpiece event. 

The shake-up to the traditional weekend format sees qualifying move to Friday evening t𝄹o set the order for Saturday’s sprint race, which will in turn decide how the grid lines up for the British GP on Sunday. 

Three points will be on offer for the top three finishers, while the win🅰ner will be officially credited with pole position.&ღnbsp;

There is uncertainty over what type of spectacle the sprint race will produce, with some teams expecting a cau꧃tious approach from their drivers, while F1 chief Ross Brawn is confident the new format will induce flat-out, exciting action. 

Fans will get to make their own mind up this weekend as F1 boldly goes into the unkn൩own. 

3. Can Norris mix it up at the front again? 

Lando Norris coꦦntinued his outstanding start to the season last time out in Austria as he scored his third podium of the year with his latest strong showing for McLaren. 

Norris is the only driver to have scored point🅷s in each of the opening nine races of 2021 and heads into his home race at t꧟he British GP sitting a remarkable fourth in the championship, having already surpassed his total points tally from last season in eight fewer races. 

The 21-year-old mixed it up at the front of the g﷽rid alongside Verstappen and Hamilton and held his own against 2021’s title protagonists. He fended off Hamilton’s attacks for 20 laps in the opening stint and ended up passing the seven-time world champion in the closing stages as Hamilton faded with a damaged car. 

Norris’ performance across the two Austrian rounds highlighted the rate of McLaren’s progress and underlined the MCL35M’s all-🌳round strengths, including impressive straight line speed. 

McLaren remains realistic over its British GP prospects൲ despite and does not expect to be ▨fighting it out with Mercedes and Red Bull again. 

But considering Noౠrris’ form, you wouldn’t rule it out. 

4. New Pirelli tyres add to uncertainty 

F1’s official tyre supplier is bringing a new, more robust construction of the rear C4 compound t꧙o this week♐end’s British GP. 

This came after positive feedback to tests carri๊ed out in Austria and is a response to the high-speed blowouts Verstappen and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll suffered at last month’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 

Pirelli’s new constructiꦑon, coupled with parc ferme conditions coming into effect ahead of Friday qualifying am෴id a new weekend format, will provide the teams with an additional headache over how to set-up their cars following just one hour of practice. 

The Italian manufacturer will be hoping to avoid a repeat of the series of dramatic punctures that overshadowed l𓆏ast year’s British GP around the ultra-high-speed Silverstone track that is always 🍬a tough test for tyres. 

5. F1’s coming home - to a full house

Silverstone has been given the green💛 light to operate at a full capacity, meaning around 140,000 spectators will be welcomed for the British GP on race after last year’s pair of events were held behind closed doors. 

As a result, the vast open-air vওenue in Northamptonshire is set to play host to the largest crowd for a sporting event in the UK since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The news will come as a bꦗoost for Hamilton, who will be backed by extra support in his bid to strike back against Verstappen in the t🍸itle fight.