Mercedes was “on the edge” at the end of the race in Canada

This is the fourth double victory in seven races for Mercedes. Team director Toto Wolff understandably had a big smile on Sunday night: « Today, our guys on the pit wall did a perfect job, finding the perfect balance between allowing our two drivers to fight on the track and preserving the cars to get us to the finish. Montreal is the most demanding circuit in terms of fuel consumption—and also the most demanding for brakes. With no safety car to spice up the action, we witnessed a fierce and relentless battle between our two guys over 70 laps—it was a true fight. It was really a game of cat and mouse between them. (…) We needed this result today, after all the discussions and criticisms following Monaco, and it was good to respond with a flawless performance. »

For Toto Wolff, however, Mercedes must not rest, as he believes the two Ferraris are closer than the final standings might suggest: « It was also good to see Valtteri on the podium. A Mercedes Power Unit triple, after all the work to improve the engine this weekend, is just a good job. But we know we haven’t seen Ferrari’s true pace today either, as they had a fairly hectic afternoon. »

Paddy Lowe, the technical director, reflects on the particularities of the race in Montreal: Towards the end, our biggest challenge was allowing our two drivers to race each other in a situation where many vital parameters were at the limit—fuel and brakes in particular. The circuit is tough on many components of the car, and asking the drivers to manage all this is not necessarily the easiest thing in the heat of the battle. It puts maximum pressure on the pit wall.

Last year, Mercedes had crossed that famous safety limit. Its two drivers had experienced major brake issues, and victory had ultimately gone to Daniel Ricciardo.