Ferrari closing power gap to Mercedes

MONTREAL, Canada - Ferrari's token-upgraded engine will bring it to only 11kW less than dominant Mercedes' turbo V6.

That's the claim of Germany's Sport Bild as the world of F1 begins to descend on Montreal ahead of that city's 2015 Canadian Formula 1 GP.

The report said the upgrades had added 15 to 22kw, bringing the Ferrari unit to around 607kW in total. Mercedes' engine is believed to be 618kW.

UPGRADED POWER UNITS

The upgraded Ferrari engine is in the team's Montreal luggage but the team is reportedly yet to decide if it will be fitted to the cars at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit.

Sport Bild said the decision could be taken today (June 4).

The extra power will be crucial on the circuit's long straights but Sebastian Vettel is already on the second of his four engines in the 2015 allocation.

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg used only one engine each for the opening six races of 2015 - an achievement described as "incredible" by technical chief Paddy Lowe.

The second Mercedes engines, to be used in Canada and beyond, have been upgraded for reliability, the team claims, but no performance 'tokens' were spent.

Red Bull's Helmut Marko was reported as saying: "The Mercedes engine is still so superior that it is not necessary. Mercedes just plays with all of us, using as much power as needed.

"Hamilton and Rosberg will continue to fight for the victory between themselves."

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