Hamilton says record-tying seventh Canada GP win may be tougher
- by Carmen Reese
- in Science
- — Jun 10, 2018
The reigning F1 champions said that "quality issues" would mean the new power unit would now be used at the next race in France.
Online ridicule ensued, with people responding to the tweet with images of Mercedes-Benz race cars under the Ferrari logo and other Internet memes making fun of the company.
Mercedes' decision affects all of its teams and drivers, so in addition to factory drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, Force India's Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon and Williams' Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin will also stick with the engines they have been using since the start of the season.
And the race in Canada will have the same compounds that were used in Monaco - the supersoft, the ultrasoft and the hypersoft tires - when Mercedes struggled to bring it up to the optimum temperature and extract the maximum performance from the tires.
The Scuderia could also face a reduced threat from Red Bull as their auto is likely to be less suited on the long straights, though will be strong in the many heavy braking zones.
Asked about Ferrari's engine upgrade for Canada, which debuted in the back of the Haas and Sauber in Monaco, Vettel added: "It's always been the plan, so let's see".
"There's some tricks to the track, but it's a great track, there's a lot of over taking possibilities, so it is a good show."
"I don't want to think about too far behind [me]", he said.
The race takes place Sunday in Montreal. It is yet unclear if Ferrari are also planning an upgrade or if they will wait to introduce it at a later race.
But others have also found the track to their liking including two of Hamilton's biggest challengers.
"It is of course Lance's home race, and also where he scored his first Formula 1 points a year ago in his rookie season, so it holds good memories". Ferrari ought to know Montreal by now, seeing as how the city has hosted every Canadian Grand Prix for the last 40 years.
That emotionally charged weekend was capped off by a sixth win in Canada.
F1's 4X world champions Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton with Mr. Hamilton holding a narrow points lead over Ferrari's lead driver. The Silver Arrows team principal Toto Wolff admitted they are pushing to bring as much performance as possible to stay ahead of their rivals.