Manor boosted by car upgrades

Manor, which has so far ran at the back of the field and some way off the other cars, will be running several new aerodynamics improvements at Silverstone.

The upgrades include a new nose, revised bodywork and a modified engine cover.

Manor's Ferrari-powered car will also sport a slightly different livery, with a new sponsor on the sidepods.

Will Stevens said he was upbeat about the upgrades, although he admitted the high-speed nature of Silverstone may mask their performance.

"I'm really excited to see where it puts us," said Stevens on Thursday.

"We have to wait until Friday to see how they are going to work, but we are optimistic they will help."

He added: "We are always getting closer, that's for sure. The last couple of races have been more up and down, I'd say.

"Downforce is very important here, so it's probably not going to be our closest circuit, but then again we have upgrades, so it will be interesting to see how much that improves us.

"Initially, they look very good, so we'll have to wait and see."

Stevens said he was also excited about the prospect of racing at home for the first time in a Formula 1 car.

"It's probably one of the biggest races I'll do because being British obviously I've grown watching this race for many years," he said.

"This time I'm here racing it myself, so for me personally it's obviously very special."