For Lewis Hamilton, success has come very easily at the British Grand Prix - winning every year since 2014 - and very little appears to be standing in his way again this weekend.

The Briton saw a 33-race points scoring streak come to a halt last Sunday in Austria as a fuel pressure problem forced him into retirement and allowed Sebastian Vettel to retake the championship lead by a single point.

But Mercedes has dominated at Silverstone thanks to their perfect combination of strength in high-speed corners and the best engine on the grid to power them around.

This year, their advantage may be even bigger as Pirelli bring the thinner-treaded tyres that Hamilton has used to claim comfortable wins in Barcelona and Paul Ricard, so it was understandable when he oozed confidence in the press conference on Thursday.

"The British GP is the most special for me of all the races we get to do," he was quoted by Sky Sports.

"It is a real privilege. The fans here are just incredible. The weather is the best it has ever been. We are fighting for the World Cup. I think it is just a really great time for sport."

The world champion also jokingly asked what the fine would be for skipping media duties on Saturday as England play Sweden in the World Cup quarterfinals immediately after qualifying as the 33-year-old is also gripped by football fever.

"The passion is crazy for everyone that's watching their country play," he told the British broadcaster "It's like it's in your DNA - it's crazy, and it's so exciting.

"[The final] is next Sunday and I've booked that day off, kept it free, because I want to be in Russia that day supporting them!

"There's so much pressure on them, obviously with it being the World Cup, but there's so much support for them. England has such excited fans, there's so much passion in England for sport."

Returning to the F1 though, Mercedes technical director James Allison admits there will be an anxious period at the start of the Silverstone weekend to see if any further mechanical issues with the engines occur.

“We think that both failures were confined to the items which failed and they are both things which can be replaced without breaking into the sealed areas of the car which attract sporting penalties," he explained.

“But every time a car stops in an uncontrolled way, where a failure happens and systems are shut down, in a way which is unusual, we can’t be completely sure until we have done all the necessary checks that all the bits of the car which are sealed and which do attract penalties weren’t affected.

“We have got a bit of work on to make sure we are not taking undue risks with parts which might have had some consequential damage when the car was shut down.”

Following weeks of bad reports and poor performances, Eric Boullier has stepped down as the racing director at McLaren in a surprising move on Wednesday.

The Frenchman has been the centre of attention with claims of unrest at Woking, including the infamous chocolate-gate story, but it is the lack of results with the British team struggling towards the back of the midfield that has ultimately cost him his place after four years.

Former Indy 500 winner Gil de Ferran, who joined the team as an advisor in recent months, will take over as sporting director, and in a statement put out by CEO Zak Brown, it would appear potential disenchantment at the lower levels has resulted in a high-level departure.

“The performance of the MCL33 in 2018 has not met the expectations of anyone at McLaren, especially our loyal fans," the American began.

"This is not the fault of the hundreds of committed and hard-working men and women at McLaren, the causes are systemic and structural, which require major change from within. With today’s announcement, we start to address those issues head-on and take the first step on our road to recovery.

“I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the entire team to thank Eric for his service and contribution to McLaren and wish him well in his future endeavours.”

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As recently as the French GP, Boullier was confident his future at the British team was not under threat which is why this decision is somewhat out of the blue.

Nevertheless, in reflection, the former Lotus boss acknowledged change is needed.

“I am very proud to have worked with such a brilliant team over the past four years, but I recognise now is the right time for me to step down," he said.

“I want to wish everyone at McLaren the best for the remainder of the season and for the future."

Max Verstappen believes it is too early to rule out a possible challenge for the championship in the wake of his first victory of the season in Austria last weekend.

The Dutchman made a cheeky first lap move on Kimi Raikkonen before capitalising on retirements for both Mercedes drivers to secure his fourth career win and also complete a run in the last three races that has seen him finish third, second and first.

Max has also scored the most points of any driver in the post three races with 58, something that has seen him climb upto fifth in the Drivers' standings just three points behind teammate Daniel Ricciardo albeit still 53 adrift of leader Sebastian Vettel.

“It’s a good run we are having now but we still need a bit more engine power and then we can definitely be in the mix,” he told Sky Sports.

“We never give up [on the championship] like I said."

His Red Bull team boss Christian Horner also still sees some hope that the admittedly large gap can be closed.

“I think we see ourselves very much as outsiders,” the Briton told ESPN. “We discussed it with Renault obviously, and there will be no nicer way of them to sign off this partnership than with an engine that hopefully produces some more wins and who knows what else.

“I think what’s concerning for us, Mercedes and Ferrari recently look like they’ve made a good step as well. Of course, nothing in F1 stands still.

“Hopefully there’ll be small incremental gains over coming races because if we can do a better job on Saturdays, we have the pace in the race on Sundays."

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Meanwhile, Jos Verstappen, father to the 20-year-old and a former F1 driver himself, used the win to hit back at those that were critical of his son during the incidents which plagued his first third of the year.

“People should never again put a question mark on Max’s so-called aggressive driving style,” he told Dutch publication Formule 1.

“Max knows what he is doing. He has to fine-tune some small things and he understands that himself, but by gaining experience he gets better and better.”

Formula 1 drivers will have to contend with a very unique DRS zone at this weekend's British Grand Prix as the FIA add a third to the Silverstone layout.

More circuits are featuring a trio of zones with Austria, Canada and Australia all having done so, however, this will be the first time the zone will run through two corners on a track.

In addition to the Wellington Straight heading towards Brooklands and the Hangar Straight to Stowe, drivers can now open the rear wing on the start/finish straight as well as through the near-flat-out Abbey and Farm curves.

“It’s not a big zone, but the interesting thing is that they could use it open through Turn 1 if they wanted to," race director Charlie Whiting said in Austria.

“Once they activate it after Turn 18, on the exit of the last corner, it only closes when they either brake or back off. Let’s see.”

This marks a step away from the previous stance of not wanting to place DRS at areas where the loss of downforce through having the wing open could result in a big crash.

It is exactly for this reason that the tunnel in Monaco, the run before Eau Rouge and the straight to 130R all haven't featured DRS zones despite the corners being easy flat in the current F1 cars.

Abbey is a much more marginal corner in terms of the risk of losing the rear than those mentioned so, as Whiting said, it will be interesting to see how this new approach works.

All of Ferrari's rivals, including Lewis Hamilton, believe the Italian team has now overtaken Mercedes and enjoy the best engine on the grid.

The Scuderia's power unit has been the target of intense scrutiny this season, with teams wanting clarification over oil burning and a very complicated ERS which some believes produces more than the permitted level of electrical boost.

However, despite numerous checks, the FIA remains satisfied by the legality and on the straights, it is apparent the Prancing Horse is ahead of the Silver Arrow in terms of top speed.

"They have a super engine," Red Bull's Christian Horner said top Brazil's Globo. "Our chassis is probably the best of the top three cars, but we couldn't get past them. They have power to spare."

Hamilton, who was overtaken by Sebastian Vettel on the long haul between Turns 1 and 3 on Sunday in Spielberg, also think Ferrari is the new performance benchmark.

"They're ahead of us in that sense, there's no question," said the Mercedes driver.

While such talk might possibly be expected by rivals, when a customer, like Sauber team boss Fred Vasseur, talks up the performance you know he's not playing any mind games.

"Having the same version of the Ferrari engine is making all the difference for us," he said. "We are improving our chassis step by step, but it is undeniable that we have the help of this year's engine."

Looking ahead to this weekend's race at Silverstone, however, a circuit characterised by high-speed corners, the man in charge at Maranello admits expectations are lower.

“On paper, Silverstone looks quite difficult for us,” he told Sky Italia. “Aerodynamics are very important and it will be a difficult race for us, so we have to stay focused.”

The luxury the Italian team does have is heading to Britain ahead in both championships after Mercedes' first double retirement in over two years on Sunday at the Red Bull Ring.

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has given his backing to chief strategist James Vowles after the Briton took responsibility for the mistake with cost Lewis Hamilton victory at the Austrian GP.

The reigning world champion was running comfortably in the lead after the early laps at the Red Bull Ring, however, would see his race turn after the team decided not to copy Red Bull and Ferrari and pit under a Virtual Safety Car caused by the retirement of teammate Valtteri Bottas.

Realising the situation, the Hamilton aired his grievances over the radio with Vowles replying and apologising for, at the time, likely costing him the race.

Ultimately, a later fuel pressure problem would see the Briton retire for the first time since the infamous engine failure in Malaysia in 2016, yet it was that decision that remained most in focus.

“What I think happened was we were running one and two and controlling the race, and suddenly you see your second car stopping,” said Wolff, trying to offer an explanation. “The VSC came out, we had half a lap to react, and we didn’t. Fact. This is where we lost the race.

“At that stage of the race with the VSC, pitting is probably 80% the thing you need to do. With one car out there against two others, the thinking process that happened was, ‘what would happen if the others pitted a car?’.

“That whole thinking loop I wouldn’t say distracted us, but we spent too much time on that. For me, [this is] the most painful day in my years at Mercedes, worse than Barcelona [2016]."

As for whether he would take action to try and avoid a repeat, that is when the Austrian supported his man on the pit-wall.

“We don’t need to make changes,” Wolff said. “The most important things is to understand why an error happens, and go back into the situation and analyse it.

“I don’t think we would make an error twice. It’s just that the situation is very complex, we are fighting [between] six cars and it’s just a tough situation

“For me, James is one of the best ever, and it needs guts to go out there and say in front of millions of people and say, ‘That was my mistake, no you can still do this, with the car you have’."

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Motivation was claimed to be the main reason behind Vowles' radio message to Hamilton, however, Red Bull boss Christian Horner disagreed, suggesting he was simply made a scapegoat.

“It’s always difficult to know the intricacies of other teams but the one thing you have to do as a team is win and lose as a team,” he told Motorsport.com. “Certainly our philosophy is that as a team, it’s collective responsibility rather than an individual.

“Of course there has to be accountability, but it’s something that’s dealt with in the right environment, behind closed doors, and not in a public forum.”

The Briton also wondered why Mercedes felt the need to try and re-energise their driver.

“I have never worked with Lewis and I don’t know what makes him tick, but it’s a fairly bizarre thing to need somebody to throw themselves under the bus to motivate a driver to go faster from fourth back into the lead,” he added.

The wait for Lewis Hamilton to finally confirm his new deal with Mercedes is the only thing holding up Daniel Ricciardo from signing a new Red Bull deal.

That is the claim of team boss Christian Horner as the story of the Australian's future in Formula 1 beyond 2018 continues to rumble on.

Last Sunday in Austria, Ricciardo was seen exiting a private meeting with Red Bull CEO Dietrich Mateschitz with many believing that could have been the moment a new deal was signed that will see him remain with the Milton Keynes outfit.

Though that is not thought to be the case, Horner insists the gap is closing between the team and driver.

“We’ve now got to the point where there is a desire from both sides to continue the relationship,” the team boss told AAP.

“So it’s just a matter of now really going through the detail and coming to a conclusion which will certainly be done prior to the summer break.”

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Internally, it appears the biggest consideration the 29-year-old has had regards the decision by Red Bull to use Honda engines in 2019 and 2020, the likely length of his new deal.

"He’s seen and understood the decision making behind where we’ve gone,” Horner added.

Yet his concluding statement suggests the possibility of Hamilton potentially pulling a Rosberg and calling time on his F1 career remains somewhat of a distraction.

“Hopefully, the rest of it becomes a formality, unless Lewis announces his retirement at the British Grand Prix this weekend.”

Speaking on Austrian TV ahead of the race in Spielberg though, Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda stated: 

“I guarantee that in the coming year Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will drive for Mercedes,” he told broadcaster ORF. “That is settled.”

Formula 1's managing director of motorsport, Ross Brawn is hoping Fernando Alonso will stay on the grid for a few more years at least, claiming the sport needs more drivers like the Spaniard.

The double world champion is being linked with a switch to IndyCar in 2019 as McLaren continues to fall short of the lofty expectations set of challenging at the front of the grid and as Alonso tries to become just the second driver in history to win the Triple Crown, with only the Indy 500 in his path.

However, while competitively he may not be where he wants to be, Brawn insists Fernando continues to bring a lot of value to F1 and would be worse off without him.

"He is still immensely quick and F1 needs drivers with his undoubted charisma and talent," he was quoted by F1i.com. "Who knows, maybe he really is looking for fulfilment outside of F1, but I really hope that’s not the case."

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With also impresses the former Ferrari and Mercedes man is the passion and commitment Alonso has, as he prepares for what is his fifth consecutive race weekend, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

"While everyone in F1 is tackling the challenge of the sport’s first ever triple-header with determination and dedication, for [Alonso] the period has been even more intense," Brawn noted.

"The race in Austria marked Fernando’s fourth consecutive weekend on track but there was no sign of weariness. [He] was as keen as ever to fight to the very last lap. In short, in Austria, Alonso once again drove a majestic race."

Aston Martin look set to abandon plans to become an engine supplier in Formula 1 for the new regulations set to come into effect in 2021.

The British carmaker has had an increasing interest in recent years, primarily through a growing relationship with Red Bull which currently sees them as title sponsor and a technical partner to the Anglo-Austrian team.

At the same time, they were also involved in the conversations regarding alterations to the current power units which would see them become cheaper, simpler and louder in three years time.

A final agreement is expected soon with an initial deadline set for the end of June, however, the signals from Aston CEO Andy Palmer aren't painting a strong picture on how the rules are taking shape.

“It doesn’t look like the new regulations will be of interest, sadly,” he was quoted by PlanetF1.

“I don’t see the costs coming down far enough with the regulations I’ve heard discussed and I do see that the opportunity to spend a fortune chasing down a tenth of a second a lap will remain.”

That will be disheartening to F1 bosses, who are hoping the changes can attract new manufacturers back to the sport but have had to deal with the political strength of both Mercedes and Ferrari.

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Palmer insists he hasn't taken a final decision yet though, but his criteria for entry have remained the same.

“At Aston, we love the sport, and we’d love to be involved, but we cannot get involved in an arms race. It’s needlessly expensive and it undermines the sport, because whoever has the advantage of that tenth will win,” he claimed.

“I won’t say we’re definitely not going to do it until I see the final proposal because there are still some areas where there is not enough clarity. But if the door is left open to a spending war, then we won’t be involved.”

Aston Martin had already taken steps towards a possible F1 entry, hiring former Ferrari engine chief Luca Marmorini, but if the plug is indeed pulled, it will be interesting to see what this means for the likes of Porsche who are also believed to be considering their options.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner praised the collective effort of his squad after once again taking full advantage of an opportunity to score a third win of 2018 at the Austrian GP.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit had been struggling all weekend in Spielberg and even saw tensions flare during a bad qualifying which saw the Haas of Romain Grosjean split their two cars.

It all changed though during the race, as a slightly cheeky move saw Max Verstappen move ahead of Kimi Raikkonen on Lap 1 before a strategy call to pit under a Virtual Safety Car put the Dutchman in position to claim a very popular win.

“It is a dream result,” he admitted post-race. “Red Bull Ring, Red Bull car, and Max driving an unbelievable race and it was absolutely nailed in the first lap."

There was another challenge which the 20-year-old had to overcome and that was blistered tyres, something that took teammate Daniel Ricciardo out of contention before later retiring with a broken exhaust.

“Hats off to him, it was a really mature race because the tyres were so crucial,” Horner added. “The blisters and everything that is going on, he just managed to keep those temperatures down and managed it all the way through.

“He was keeping the rear left cooler than the rear right and the left here is the on that takes all the load. He was constantly asking for information and managing those tyres and that is why they didn’t blister up. A very very mature drive.”

A fourth career win was also vindication for how much Verstappen has turned his season around in recent races with four podiums in the last five Grands Prix.

“The margins in F1 are so fine,” said Horner. “You saw there was a touch at Turn 2 with Kimi and a touch at Turn 7, a few races ago that could’ve been a puncture, and there’s a very different story.

“Max obviously has had a tough first third of the year and all credit to him, he’s kept his head, the last three races he’s been third, second and first with three very impressive drivers.”

It wasn't just about Max though, with Horner also singling out team manager Jonathon Wheatley for the work done in moments to complete a double pit-stop that would prove so decisive.

“The teamwork today, that is why I sent Jonathan up to get the trophy today,” the Red Bull team boss noted. “Two fantastic pit stops, and sharp with the Virtual Safety Car.

“You have to have confidence in your boys to nail a double stop with the proximity that the drivers were in there and we got the best guys in the pit lane, without any shadow of doubt.

“It was a ballsy call but it was the right thing to do and it paid dividends.”