Mercedes might already be poised to win the 2014 constructors’ championship in Formula 1, but the team is refusing to lift its foot off the gas just yet, especially in the wake of Valtteri Bottas’ problem in Monaco.
The Williams driver suffered from an engine failure towards the end of the race, causing some concerns for the supplier, Mercedes. The works team co-chief, Paddy Lowe, explained how the it is now investigating just what caused this issue ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix next weekend.
“We now head to Canada, which is another unusual circuit but in the opposite vein to Monte Carlo,” Lowe explained. “It’s very much a power circuit and we’re looking forward to seeing how the Mercedes-Benz Hybrid package performs around this type of track layout.
“Endurance will also be an important factor given the high demands placed on the components, so this weekend will provide a comprehensive test of the Power Unit.
“There were some concerns after Monaco following a retirement for Valtteri Bottas but the team at Brixworth have been working extremely hard to understand that problem and ensure that it is contained across every engine. We are confident that this will be the case.”
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has traditionally excelled around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, winning the race on three occasions. As a result, Lowe expects the Briton to be up for a fight to win against teammate and championship leader Nico Rosberg.
“In Montreal, we have a circuit at which Lewis has traditionally excelled and, with both him and Nico on top of their game, we’re expecting them to push each other all the way through the weekend once more,” he said. “As always this will of course depend on the team providing a good package and equally strong reliability.
“We will be bringing a number of updates to the car, both on the power unit and aerodynamic side, so it should be an interesting weekend.”
Mercedes may have dominated proceedings so far this season, but Canada could be its biggest win yet.