For the eighth race weekend of the season, Mercedes has not brought any pure performance upgrades. However, the team had to focus on two major issues. The first strictly concerns the power unit: thanks to an FIA reliability dispensation, the team has revised the electronic control system to prevent further engine failures.
This modification has nothing to do with performance gains and, for this exact reason, does not provide any extra horsepower. However, it allows the drivers to push to the absolute limit without the fear of a DNF. The second update, on the other hand, is a step back on the diffuser.
In Canada, the FIA had initially declared the new floor of the W17 legal, but following protests from rival teams (including Ferrari), the governing body revised its stance. Mercedes was therefore forced to modify the diffuser to comply with the technical regulations once again.
Comparing the images with the Montreal specification, it is immediately noticeable that the three bulges have completely disappeared. The trailing edge remains serrated, but the volumes have changed: the expansion is now more contained to respect the regulatory bounding box that defines this area of the car. A mandatory modification to align with the current technical directives.
