Vettel wants to 'kill Mercedes' magic' at Silverstone

Sebastian Vettel is braced for a fightback from Mercedes after leading Ferrari to the head of the field in second practice for the British Grand Prix, but has his sights set on ending the rival team's impressive form at Silverstone.

Vettel managed to lead an FP2 session for the first time since last year's Malaysian Grand Prix on Friday at Silverstone, finishing one-tenth of a second clear of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton in the final classification.

While Vettel was unable to beat Hamilton's time set in FP1 amid high track temperatures, the Ferrari driver still took plenty of heart from his Friday display - an area in which the team has typically struggled this season - as he looks to end Mercedes' winning streak at Silverstone that dates back to 2012.

"It's been a good Friday. We’ve had rough Fridays, but for a change, it seems like a good Friday," Vettel said.

"We try to kill their [Mercedes'] magic, obviously that’s what we have tried over the last years and I think here and there we have succeeded quite well.

"It’s true that they are very strong around here and we expect them to be very strong tomorrow, but I hope we can be there and I hope we can be close. That would be very good news.

"Historically it has not been a very strong track for us. But today has been a good start, and hopefully we can improve tomorrow and kill their magic."