Bottas: Engine upgrade won't overpower Ferrari top speed

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Valtteri Bottas believes the engine upgrade introduced by Mercedes in Montreal won't allow its W10 to topple Ferrari in terms of top speed in this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.

The dominant Silver Arrows squad, which remains undefeated six races in to the 2019 season, will receive its first spec-2 engine of the year along with Mercedes' customer teams Racing Point and Williams.

It's a timely update as Montreal is a power hungry track. But while Bottas is expecting a performance boost thanks to the new unit, the Finn doubts it will be enough to match Ferrari down the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve's long straights.

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"For sure the engine upgrade is very welcome," said Bottas. "That is thanks to all of the work at Brixworth.

"Obviously it's something we need to see physically how it actually behaves on-track and everything. We also need to make sure that it's reliable.

"We're expecting already from a fresh engine a tiny bit of power gain, but we're expecting a small step forward.

"We don't think it's quite yet enough to match Ferrari's straight-line speed. They will have the upper-hand on that, but we have our strengths in other areas. I look forward to feeling it on Friday."

In addition to Montreal's characteristics as a good reason to welcome Mercedes' upgrade, Bottas also noted that the update made sense as the lifecycle of his current engine was nearing its end.

"I think it's coming at the right time because the first engine is running towards the end of its life, so we will have needed a new one anyway," he added.

"But it's nice to have the upgrade here, definitely, for example compared to Monaco. The engine is much more valuable here, so it's good timing for that.

"Like I said earlier, we need to see how it actually feels and works, and how much it is going to benefit compared to the old one."

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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.