Mercedes downplays hopes for Canadian GP

In spite of their victory in Monaco, Mercedes is keeping its expectations in check ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix at the weekend.

Nico Rosenberg’s win on the streets of Monte-Carlo was the team’s first of the season and followed four consecutive pole positions. But executive director Toto Wolff has played down Mercedes’ chances this weekend, citing expectation of more overtaking opportunities and higher levels of tyre degradation as reasons.

“The high-speed circuit will definitely suit our Mercedes-Benz engine. Our car has been on pole position for the last four races, which shows our basic speed, so the focus in that time has been on improving our performance on Sunday afternoons. We managed this in Monaco, partly thanks to the unique characteristics of the circuit. This weekend will give us a more representative indication of how much progress we have made,” he said.

Even team principal Ross Brawn agreed with Wolff’s thinking by claiming that there was still a lot of work for his team to do.

Source: ESPN F1