New Mercedes engine ‘not at full power yet’

Valtteri Bottas has said the new Mercedes engine feels “fresh and good” and is yet to be run at full power yet.

Mercedes confirmed after the first two practice sessions – topped on both occasions by Lewis Hamilton – that they are running a ‘Phase 2.1’ power unit which was initially due to arrive at the last race in Canada.

Bottas was restricted to just seven laps in FP2 because of a water leak, but is encouraged by the much-needed power unit update.

“I only got a few laps in, then we had a water leak which we’re currently investigating,” said Bottas in the paddock.

“Unfortunately, that meant that I didn’t really get a lot of long runs in.

“We were running the new spec engine today which felt fresh and good, but we didn’t run it yet in full power, so there’s more to discover.

“We need to identify the cause of the water leak, but we’re confident that we continue to run the new engine.

“We looked competitive in both sessions today, but we know that Ferrari has performance in hand on Fridays, so let’s wait and see what tomorrow and Sunday hold for us.”

Lewis Hamilton echoed Bottas’ comments, saying: “The new engine feels clean and fresh but we won’t really know its full potential until tomorrow when everyone gets to turn their engines up.

“I’m grateful for the hard work that everyone put into it back in Brixworth. They’ve been pushing so hard to get this engine and do it in the right way.”