McLaren doubt Red Bull pace

Following the European Grand Prix in Valencia, many people in the paddock have asked just how dominant the Red Bull car could be this weekend at Silverstone.

Before succumbing to an alternator failure which caused him to retire, double World Champion Sebastian Vettel dominated around the streets of Valencia.

He took pole position and was controlling the race with ease, pulling an almost second-a-lap advantage over the chasing pack.

The performance was so strong that some now believe that Red Bull may have found a competitive advantage following a recent upgrade.

But while it's clear they have taken a step forward, was it sheer race pace from Red Bull or was it actually just circuit specific?

Mercedes Ross Brawn has already spoken about the how teams have managed to find the sweet spot on the Pirelli tyres this season which has given them a big advantage. Nico Rosberg found it to collect his maiden win, could Vettel have done the same?

McLaren would appear to hold the same view.

'Because the changes that they made to the car, if you look at that pace it was a second a lap. To find a second lap in F1 through changing some fairly secondary parts on the top surface on the floor, which is where we know they have changed, to get a second a lap in F1 would be pretty impressive. McLaren's sporting director Sam Michael said during a Vodafone phone-in on Wednesday as quoted by Autosport Magazine.

'When we arrive in Silverstone we will find out if that is the case but I will be pretty surprised if they maintain a second a lap gap on the rest of the field.

'It was very impressive pace, but ultimately we have seen this year that if you get the tyres working properly and you fall into that window then you can generate some enormous amounts of grip. We have seen that four or five times this year and Sebastian was definitely bang on the tyres in that first stint. So it was reflective of that rather than the car upgrade.'

Are Mercedes and McLaren clutching at straws or they accurate in their assessments? Our first chance to get an understanding of the true situation will come during Friday practice.