Reliability issues have forced the reigning world champions to exceed its pow🎃er unit allocation th♈is year, with Hamilton being hit with grid penalties in Turkey and Brazil for moving onto his fourth and fifth ICEs of the season. 

Hamilton benefitted from the new engine as he claimed a stunning fightback win the Sao Paulo Grand Prix beಞfore reverting to his older-spec power unit in Qatar. 

But the seven-time world champion is set to receive a welcome boost from the engine Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described as “spicy” for&nb🌟sp;qualifying at this weekend’s inaugural event around the new high-speed Jeddah venue. 

“It’s another step in the right 🐼direction,” Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin told Sky Sports after second practicꩵe.

“I think it will be a measurabl♊e step. Tomorrow we need to get all the performance possible on the car.”

Hamilton, who trails title rival Max Verstappen by eight points with two races to go, set the pace i🍌n both of Friday’s ꧒practice sessions. 

But Wolff was cautious not to read too much into Hamilton’s fast start and insisted the168澳洲5最新开奖结果: “odds are against” Mercedes in its title battle with Red Bull. 

“Friday can often be quite misleading,” Wolff explained. “You don’t know what engine modes people are running a𒊎nd we’ve seen big steps from our competitors and ourselves from Friday to Saturday.

“So I wouldn’t want to either jump with exuberance at how good it went, neither be too worried. It’s about really just grinding t🔴hrough the work and coming up with a car as good as it ꦡcan be.”

Meanwhile, Red Bull believes there is less of an emphasis on engine power around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit than expected, with team principal Christian Horner describing its small deficit to Mercedes on Friday as 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:“encouraging”.