Lewis Hamilton faces engine wait ahead of French Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton faces an anxious wait to discover if Mercedes will be able to push ahead with their planned engine upgrade for this weekend’s race in France.

Mercedes performed a late U-turn on a decision to unleash their revised power unit at the last round in Canada which contributed to Hamilton finishing only fifth and losing his championship lead to Sebastian Vettel.

Hamilton, 33, now trails Ferrari driver Vettel by one point, and his team may wait until the opening practice session at the Paul Ricard Circuit on Friday before formally finalising their plans.

Privately, it is understood that Mercedes are confident their latest-specification power unit will be ready for Formula One’s first return to France since 2008, but a failure to provide Hamilton with a new engine would come as a significant blow to the Englishman in his hunt for a fifth championship.

Indeed Hamilton, who used a seven-race-old power unit in Montreal a fortnight ago, admitted he was relieved simply to reach the chequered flag.

Despite his engine problems at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit, Hamilton was also off the pace in qualifying and started only fourth, two places behind his team-mate Valtteri Bottas, at a track where he has excelled in the past.

Hamilton, whose contract is due to expire at the end of the season, is yet to reach an agreement with Mercedes on his future plans.

“My desire to win this championship is greater than it’s ever been,” Hamilton said in an interview with Paper Magazine.

“I do all of these different things in my life and I have all of these other interests but none of this would be possible without racing.

Hamilton will lead the sport’s return to France as the Paul Ricard circuit plays host to its first race since 1990, and the country’s first grand prix in a decade.

The French race also marks the start of F1’s inaugural triple header with the Austrian and British races to follow on consecutive weekends.