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Gareth Southgate looking to learn from Mercedes at British GP

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Gareth Southgate is visiting Mercedes during the British GP as he looks for ways to improve the England football team ahead of next year's European Championships

Gareth Southgate says he is looking to learn from the Mercedes F1 team after visiting them at Silverstone during the British GP.

The England manager was in the paddock ahead of the race, which will see Mercedes duo Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton start on the front row, to spend time with Toto Wolff's team.

Asked about what he could learn from F1, Southgate said: "It's fascinating to see a high-performance team operate under pressure.

"Toto Wolff and all the team at Mercedes have been brilliant. I was there at the factory two weeks ago and to be able to see them perform on race day is very special.

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"All the coaches across all the different sports interact quite a bit. There are things that transfer across in terms of running a team but obviously every team is unique in its detail and the way that its teams operate."

Southgate has impressed as England manager since taking the job, initially as caretaker, in September 2016, taking them to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and this year's Nations League.

Should England qualify for next year's European Championships they will play all their group matches at home at Wembley, with UEFA using 12 different venues to host the tournament.

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Furthermore, if Southgate can lead his side to the final four, both semi-finals and the final will also be at Wembley - potentially giving England a crucial advantage.

Image: Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will start on the front row at Silverstone, with the British GP starting at 2:10pm

"To have the group matches at Wembley is brilliant for our fans and for the team," said Southgate. "We've got to make sure we're good enough in the next 12 months to be in that semi-final and final. We've got a bit of work to do to achieve that.

"We have progressed over the last two years but we know there's a level now we've got to go to catch those very top teams.

"We know some of the things we need to do to do that and some of those will evolve over the next 12 months. Our game is constantly changing and evolving; we feel progress is good but we're not satisfied with where we are.

"That's why we're doing things like this - to try to find an edge and how it might work."

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