Mercedes will get out 'spicy engine' for Hamilton in F1 Saudi GP
Mercedes took a grid penalty at Interlagos in order to introduce a new internal combustion engine into Hamilton’s pool of remaining power units to help him get through the rest of the 2021 season.
Hamilton’s engine performance and superior straightline speed advantage during his stunning fight back victory in Brazil caught the attention of rivals Red Bull as the seven-time world champion charged through the field.
Mercedes reverted to an older-spec V6 this weekend as Hamilton made it back-to-back wins with a comfortable victory in the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix to close the gap to Max Verstappen in their world championship fight.
With Mercedes expecting to perform strongly at Jeddah - a brand new street circuit dominated by long straights - Wolff confirmed that Hamilton will once again run his freshest engine.
“Saudi should be a good track for us,” Wolff told Sky. “We know this year when you think it’s a good one it can turn the other way round but it’s a lot of long straights.
“We’ll get our spicy engine out for Saudi Arabia that we didn’t use [here] and hopefully Valtteri is right up there - we need him. If everybody finishes the race it’s [the title race] is going to go to Abu Dhabi.”
Hamilton was never threatened by the recovering Verstappen in Sunday’s race on his way to a comfortable and dominant victory, with Mercedes appearing to enjoy a pace advantage over Red Bull all weekend at Losail.
Asked if he feels Mercedes now has the best car it has had all season, Wolff replied: “Yes, definitely. I think the car is quick on the straight and the car is good around the corners. Degradation works fine and even in races in the Middle East - we have two to come after this.”
Hamilton has cut Verstappen's title advanatage down to eight points but Wolff dismissed the notion of Mercedes being in control of the title race heading into the final two races in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.
“I wish!,” Wolff said. “I really enjoy the ride because it’s good fun when it’s so tough, this is exactly why we are in this sport. I enjoy every minute.
“I think we’ve got to push maximum attack. We’ve got to catch up, make some points up and this is just what we are going to do.”
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