Red Bull not in shape: 'Leclerc can take on Verstappen'

A possible engine change for Lewis Hamilton kept Formula 1 busy all week. Finally, today the news came that Hamilton will replace his internal combustion engine (ICE) and receive a grid penalty of ten places. Auto, Motor und Sport did an analysis of Friday and reports more on Valtteri Bottas' fourth engine.

According to AMuS, Hamilton's change shows that Mercedes does not want to show weakness against Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing due to the high tension in the championship. Furthermore, Mercedes has determined that Bottas' fourth engine, which was replaced as a precautionary measure during the weekend in Sochi, can no longer be used.

This is also the reason why Mercedes replaced Hamilton's ICE as a precaution, reports the site. The new ICE is a combination of parts from older units. "It's a task you only want to do in the factory because it's so complex. We've only mixed parts from different power units once in the last seven years", says a Mercedes engineer.

Leclerc breathing down Verstappen's neck

According to AMuS's longrun analysis, Leclerc may make things difficult for Verstappen. "Red Bull was clearly not in form yet and is no match for Mercedes. Verstappen lost an average of half a second to Hamilton and two tenths to Bottas during the longruns on the medium tyres. Leclerc was breathing down his neck with an equal performance in the longruns."

According to the German site, Leclerc will play a big role in qualifying. "Leclerc gained three tenths on the straights alone in his fastest lap compared to Hamilton. In the longruns, Ferrari has no chance against Mercedes, but with a Red Bull with balance issues, Leclerc can take on world championship runner-up, Verstappen." GPblog also did an analysis of Friday's longruns.