Stroll spec-2 engine failure cause for concern at Mercedes

Lance Stroll's Racing Point RP19 will be fitted with a previous-spec Mercedes engine for qualifying following the failure of its brand new spec-2 unit in FP3.

The Canadian was on the verge of completing an installation in the final free practice session when flames and a plume of smoke trailed the pink car as he headed for the pitlane.

• Mercedes confirms Canadian GP engine upgrade

It was an ominous sign for the Racing Point crew who quickly diagnosed an engine failure that halted the local hero's session.

More worrying was the fact that the engine is the same new-spec unit used this weekend by the Mercedes works team and Williams, and which was introduced for this weekend's seventh round of the world championship.

For qualifying and the remainder of the race weekend, Stroll will revert to the high-mileage engine he used in the first six races of the season.

Mercedes has yet to reveal the exact cause of the failure, a diagnosis that may have to wait until the unit returns to Brixton in the UK, but the manufacturer's engineers are likely already hard at work scanning and scrutinizing all their spec-2 engines in Canada in search of any warning signs or anomalies.

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