Vettel's Ferrari team lowers expectations ahead of British GP

SILVERSTONE – Ferrari have warned they have only a small chance of victory at the weekend's Formula One British Grand Prix despite the Scuderia making further improvements to their technical set up.

"We do not expect Silverstone to suit our car particularly well, but at every race, we have seen that the balance of power can change, often unexpectedly," team principal Mattia Binotto told the team homepage.

The 49-year-old Binotto added Ferrari would bring "a further small aerodynamic modification," to the cars of drivers Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, who are without a win between them all season.

Silverstone is a high-speed track which also contains fast corners and Vettel did upset Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton at the venue last season.

This term Hamilton has been in superb form though and leads the championship on 197 points as he chases a sixth world title. Team-mate Valtteri Bottas is second on 166 and Vettel fourth on 123.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen is third on 126 having won last time in Austria where Mercedes showed rare vulnerability in being unable to cool their cars adequately during a European heatwave.

Such a problem is unlikely to hinder them in England, however, with a temperature around 22 degrees Celsius expected for Sunday's race.