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Toto Wolff confirms Mercedes’ Canadian GP plan that will keep Lewis Hamilton happy

Toto Wolff has confirmed Lewis Hamilton will have all the same upgrades as team-mate George Russell at this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.

It comes after Hamilton pointed out that only his fellow Briton had a new front wing on his car at the Monaco Grand Prix. The seven-time F1 champion suggested to reporters that was part of the reason why team-mate Russell had out-qualified him in the Principality.

Mercedes only had time to make one front wing available for the Monaco race. And Russell later said it was Hamilton who had dismissed the original plan of a coin toss and suggested that the 26-year-old should be the one to use the new parts.

Russell said: “There was one front wing this weekend and it was agreed on Tuesday that we’d do a coin toss and see who got it. Lewis said he’d tried it on the sim and was happy for me to use it this weekend, because it doesn’t go without risk.

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“If we made a mistake in qualifying and damaged it, obviously that’s one front wing that we won’t ever be able to use again and you’d have to start from the pit lane. I was happy to take the risk using it and I thought it was a belated 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day present he gave me, saying I could use it.”

Monaco is never an ideal place to test upgrades but the new parts did help Russell to finish fifth, equalling his best result of the season so far. And, ahead of the trip to Montreal, team principal Wolff has confirmed that both drivers will have not only the improved front wing, but also some other new parts too.

He said: “We had an encouraging weekend in Monaco. We continued to make solid progress with our car, improving its overall balance and taking a step closer to those ahead. That progress isn’t yet showing in terms of positions but if we can continue to close the gap to the fastest cars, we know it will in due course.

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“Both drivers will have the updated front wing in Canada, plus some other development items for this event. It offered a small lap time gain around the tight streets of the Principality and should offer greater benefit on upcoming circuits.

“That said, the picture at the front of the field is incredibly competitive. The field has compressed, and we are under no illusions that others will continue to improve. We will have to continue to work hard and diligently to get ourselves into the mix.”

And Wolff retains hope of improved fortunes for his team at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, adding: “It offers a mix of low-speed corners and high-speed straights which makes for great racing. We always enjoy returning to Montreal as the fans are incredibly passionate about F1. We’ve enjoyed many good moments there over the years and hopefully we can add to those this weekend.”

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