Mercedes forced to delay planned F1 engine update

Mercedes will not be debuting its updated Formula 1 power unit as planned at this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix due to a “quality issue”, forcing the team to postpone its introduction until France in two weeks’ time.

Mercedes had been set to introduce its second-spec power unit for the 2018 season in Montreal this weekend, only for it to be confirmed on Wednesday evening that it would have to be delayed until the French Grand Prix, leaving the team to continue with original power unit specification for Canada.

“Although we had hoped to introduce PU2 this weekend, a quality issue means that this has now been delayed by one race,” a spokesperson from Mercedes confirmed.

“All Mercedes-powered cars will be running PU1 for this weekend too, before receiving new units in France.”

The news comes as a blow to Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, who head into this weekend eager to bounce back from a difficult Monaco Grand Prix that saw them finish third and fifth respectively.

Ferrari is set to introduce its updated power unit in Montreal, as will Honda for the Toro Rosso team. However, it is still unclear whether Renault’s updated engine will be ready for its factory team as well as customers Red Bull and McLaren for the Canadian Grand Prix.