LE CASTELLET, France -- Mercedes ran its new engine upgrade for the first time during Friday practice at the French Grand Prix, and the team claims it is even better than the one they had hoped to use in Canada.
Reliability concerns delayed the upgrade at the last moment in Canada, but two weeks of hard work back at the team's engine base in Brixworth allowed it to make its debut in all six Mercedes-powered cars on Friday. The upgrade features a new engine, turbocharger and MGU-H, with the components contributing towards better reliability and performance.
"We've introduced new spec power units for France," Mercedes technical director James Allison said.