(Motorsport-Total.com) – For George Russell, the dream of victory in Canada ended in an absolute nightmare. A defect in the power unit forced the Mercedes driver to retire prematurely in lap 30, ending a hard fight until then with his teammate and championship rival Andrea Kimi Antonelli. (More on this in our column)
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But instead of sinking into frustration after the knockout blow, the Brit used the media response to deliver a passionate speech in favor of the often criticized new regulations. The two Silver Arrows had previously literally lifted the spectators off their seats in the stands. After a poor start from pole position, Russell regained the lead in lap 5 at the last chicane.
Antonelli braked too late while defending, and the two cars nearly collided. Afterwards, the two Mercedes drivers stalked each other for laps and exchanged positions multiple times. “I loved it,” Russell enthused afterwards. “I haven’t had a duel like that in years. Such a back-and-forth probably hasn’t happened since Lewis and Nico raced each other in Bahrain in 2014.” (To the race report)
Deceptive Canada Effect
For the Brit, it is clear who deserves thanks for this show: “These new cars make this possible. These new engines allow something like this. I don’t understand at all why anyone would want to change anything about them. We already had fantastic duels in Melbourne, just like in China. That Kimi and I could duel here is solely because of these power units.”
However, the reality is not as simple as Russell presents it. The Brit is literally comparing apples to oranges here. Many overtaking maneuvers in the first races of the season were marked by the much-criticized “jo-jo effect” – dictated by cars meeting on the straights with vastly different battery charge levels.
The comparison with the legendary “Duel in the Desert” 2014 also falls short. The battle between Hamilton and Rosberg back then was based on different tire strategies on extremely rough desert asphalt, not on sheer engine power. (To the Formula 1 database)
Criticism not the same, dissatisfaction is
The only real parallel between Bahrain 2014 and Canada 2026 is the political climate. Both races took place early in a season where new engine rules caused massive dissatisfaction. Back then, prominent figures complained about the lack of sound from the new V6 hybrids; today, it’s about power delivery.
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That the race in Montreal gave such a flattering report card to the current technical regulations was mainly due to the track layout. The course in Montreal offers little room for different strategies in recovering and discharging electrical energy.
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Additionally, extremely cool temperatures caused slippery asphalt and unsettled cars, which further suppressed the feared jo-jo effect. But behind the scenes, tensions continue to simmer.
Mercedes on a political course
FIA, teams, and engine manufacturers are already negotiating compromises to adjust the balance between combustion and electric power for the upcoming season. Mercedes is dancing to a different tune. There is hardly any criticism from the team and drivers, probably also because the season could hardly be going better for the Silver Arrows at the moment.
Toto Wolff slightly tempers the praise of his protégé and admits that the track masked the weaknesses of the regulations well. “I think this extremely good race was really track-specific,” analyzes the Mercedes team principal. “There will be more difficult ones again. But we have long preached that every single race has offered good entertainment on its own.”
The Mercedes boss urges caution with possible rule adjustments: “We now have to dissect these rules with a scalpel and improve them selectively, instead of overshooting completely and actually making everything worse.”
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