Bottas hopeful water leak won't force new engine change

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Valtteri Bottas is confident his new-spec Mercedes engine will remain in the back of his W09 for the remainder of the weekend despite the unit suffering a water leak issue on Friday.

The Finn sat out the final 30 minutes of yesterday's second free practice session when his Mercedes crew discovered the engine problem.

An initial diagnosis did not reveal any visible damage to the new power unit but the team had yet to undertake a extensive analysis of the failure.

The new-spec engine has undoubtedly brought an extra boost of speed to the Silver Arrows squad, as Hamilton's impressive Friday pace clearly demonstrated.

Mercedes confirms 'phase 2.1' upgrade for Hamilton and Bottas

"Practice 2 was problematic as I only got a few laps in the beginning then we had a water leak with the engine which we are still investigating," Bottas explained.

"It is the new spec and it definitely felt fresh but we now need to find out the cause of the water leak but I think we are still confident we can run it for the rest of the weekend which is good."

Mercedes' upgraded engine was initially scheduled to be introduced in Montreal, but a quality issue pushed back its debut to France. A delay the German manufacturer put to good use by further optimizing the new specification.

"It felt good. We are not running it yet in full power so there is more to discover tomorrow but in normal running it felt fresh and nice and a bit better than the old one," said Bottas.

"We definitely looked competitive today in both sessions and Lewis got a really good lap in FP2 so I think we are going to be competitive.

"But we’ve seen on Fridays that Ferrari have been sandbagging so I think they are doing it again but let’s see for Saturday and Sunday."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.