Mercedes was forced to change Valtteri Bottas' power unit for a second time this weekend after a pneumatic leak was discovered on the Finn's former engine.

A unit failure in Brazil compelled Mercedes to bolt on a brand new engine to the back of Bottas' car for Abu Dhabi, which in turn guaranteed a back of the grid start on Sunday for the Finn.

The latest change, forced upon the team when it discovered a pneumatic leak on Friday evening after FP2, obviously won't change Bottas' position on the grid.

It could however deliver an edge to the driver in the race and help him fight his way through the field.

"I still want to fight for the pole, you know, even though I would not keep it," said the 2019 runner-up in the F1 championship.

"That would be good fun and with a fresh engine as well. But definitely the main focus just has to be the race pace, because we know we're going to start from the back.

"We will see what we can do differently maybe with the setup, or if there's anything we can find to prioritise the race pace."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Hamilton hits out at shorter F1 races: ‘It makes absolutely no sense’

Lewis Hamilton has questioned the logic behind Formula 1’s decision to shorten its Grands Prix…

48 minutes ago

Verstappen unmoved by Monaco Sprint news: ‘I don’t care’

Max Verstappen has made no secret of his disdain for Formula 1’s Sprint format, but…

2 hours ago

Russell dodges Baku engine penalty after Mercedes change of plan

George Russell won’t be taking an engine penalty at this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as…

3 hours ago

Alonso ponders F1 future, rues great tracks 'killed by 2026 rules'

Fernando Alonso has made one thing increasingly clear as the clock ticks towards 2027: Aston…

4 hours ago

Revson prevails amid chaos and confusion in Canada

The 1973 Canadian Grand Prix, run on this day at Mosport's scenic and undulating track,…

6 hours ago

Ocon now a ‘free agent’ as Haas weighs its options for 2027

Esteban Ocon has effectively put himself on the Formula 1 market for 2027, admitting he…

7 hours ago