Horner: Two-stop strategy a possibility after early degradation signs

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes that a two-stop strategy could be the optimum choice for Sunday's British Grand Prix. 

However, he conceded that Mercedes may be out of reach during the weekend, following on from its struggles two weeks ago in Austria. 

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The Briton says that the early degradation signs from the Mercedes and Ferrari cars during free practice one at Silverstone lead him to believe that the race may not be a simple one-stop.

"Hopefully, we can give them [Ferrari] a hard time this weekend," Horner told Sky F1. "Mercedes, this is their kind of territory with these temperatures, they're probably going to be a step out of reach.

"But we saw the tyre deg on the long run with Mercedes and Ferrari looked pretty heavy so it could be a factor in the race. It might not be a one-stop race, maybe a two-stop race this weekend."

Horner added that Red Bull was lifted by Max Verstappen's win last time out in Spielberg, as he took the energy drink team's first win of the season.

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"You walk into the factory on Monday morning and the buzz, there are so many people that have so much invested in these cars," Horner commented.

"And for Honda, what they've been through the last five years. The messages we've had coming through from Japan, the upbeatness, it increases that tempo. It's the feel-good factor of winning.

"The team are making progress on the chassis side, the engine is making progress as well. I was always going to be a transition year, but we have started to pick up some momentum."