Mercedes Formula 1 team boss Toto Wolff says he expects the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal to pose a challenge to its 2023 car.
Last time out at the Spanish Grand Prix, Mercedes enjoyed its best race of the season as it took second and third with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell respectively.
The strong performance came amid the introduction of upgrades at the previous round in Monaco.
“The result in Spain was a well-deserved reward for everyone’s efforts at Brackley and Brixworth to bring our update package to the track,” Wolff said.
“We were pleased with how it performed, and it will provide a new baseline for us to build from.”
However, Wolff asserts that Mercedes is well aware that the nature of the track in Barcelona suited the characteristics of its car and says its form in Canada could be different.
“We must also manage our expectations,” he said. “It was a circuit that suited our car, and we should expect our direct competitors to be stronger in the next races.
“The gap to Red Bull is large and it will take lots of hard work to close that down. Nevertheless, we’re up for the challenge.
“We now move on to Montreal. With its long straights and low-speed corners, it’s not a track that we expect to suit our car as well as Barcelona did.
“No matter where the true pace of the car is this weekend, we will aim to maximise our result.
“The characteristics of the circuit will also provide further opportunity to learn about the W14 and feed into our development path.”
Wolff also commended Mercedes’ reserve driver Mick Schumacher, who got his first opportunity to drive the W14 car at an in-season Pirelli test from Barcelona.
“Following the Grand Prix in Spain, Mick got his first opportunity to drive the W14,” he said. “He settled in well during the Pirelli tyre test and enjoyed the experience.
“Mick has become a valuable member of the team already and his work in the simulator has proved useful in finding lap time, as we saw in Barcelona.”
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