After motorsport boss Toto Wolff declared Montreal a "major wake-up call", Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas has also admitted the team "definitely" needs to upgrade its current engine.

During the Canadian GP, all six cars powered by the German manufacturer had to continue with the same unit which had done the first six races as a planned upgrade was halted due to a "quality issue".

As a result, at one of the most engine-sensitive tracks on the calendar, it was Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel who pushed ahead with Bottas having to push just to maintain second.

“Since lap one really [Ferrari] seemed to be a bit quicker all the time and they could control the race and we're really pushing on it," he said.

"We got into a little bit of trouble in the end, running out of fuel; that’s why Max got close in the end. I think this [P2] was the maximum, I’m happy for that but I’m not happy that we were behind.”

And the Finn does see the engine, which has been class leading since 2014, as the reason for the Montreal weakness.

“[Sunday] showed that we are not quick enough. We definitely need it (the upgrade) and we are going to get for the next race so that’s good,” he added.

Motorsport boss Toto Wolff didn't hold back in his criticism of Mercedes, after seeing the team comprehensively beaten by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel in Montreal.

Canada has been a happy hunting ground for the German manufacturer in the hybrid era with Lewis Hamilton taking three consecutive wins since 2015 but on Sunday, a second place for Valtteri Bottas was the best result they could achieve as the world champion slumped in fifth.

Given the strength of Ferrari on the straights this season and after Mercedes was forced to drop a planned engine upgrade for the race after a "quality issue", the outcome perhaps wasn't surprising but Wolff doesn't see that as an excuse.

“Not at all. It is a shit result for us. I have to put it like that," he told Swiss broadcaster ORF. “It is a strong track for us, but all weekend long we did little mistakes, from the beginning on.

“We fall behind in every aspect. This is a track where we should have maximised points. It was not about performing damage limitation.”\

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The consequence of Hamilton's poorest result other than retiring at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was that Vettel re-took the lead in the Drivers' standings by a single point at the third way stage.

But though many expect the performance to be a one-off blip, the Mercedes chief also has an alternative view.

“This is a major wake-up call for every single member of the team,” Wolff said. “I’m the opposite of confident moving forward. Everybody needs to assess how to improve our performance.

“This year’s championship is going to be decided by the one who makes the least mistakes. This is the new reality.

“It is a three-way team fight and six cars can win races. We cannot take anything for granted and think it is going to be a walk in the park.”

1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has taken offence to a comparison made by Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda between Max Verstappen and his father Gilles Villeneuve.

At the Canadian Grand Prix this past weekend, the former Williams driver would commemorate 40 years since Gilles won his home race at the circuit that now bears his name by driving the 1978 Ferrari before the start.

Lauda would then add his opinion by claiming similarities between the Dutchman, who Villeneuve has previously called "overrated" and a "child", to Jacques' father.

“I admit I was shocked to be told that Niki Lauda had dared to compare Gilles to Max Verstappen,” he told Le Journal de Montreal. “It is shameful.

“Maybe Lauda still has a problem with Ferrari’s decision to replace him with my father."

Explaining why he was so angered by the Austrian's clam, he added: “I agree that the Red Bull driver takes risks like my father did, but there is a big difference – my father had respect for his opponents and learned from his mistakes.

“His education was completely different. Unlike Verstappen, Gilles would not block or change course direction on the track.

“Quite frankly I don’t understand the comparison at all.”

His comments come after Max enjoyed his first incident-free weekend of the season in Canada, showing his best form with an excellent third place finish.

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Though he has insisted nothing changed in his approach to the race, Red Bull boss Christian Horner did reveal one alteration behind the scenes.

"He’s just been here on his own,” he said, with father Jos and his entourage staying in Europe. “It’s just something different. Whether it contributed is impossible to say.

“He has been very immersed in everything the team’s been doing this weekend. And he has done a super job, so all credit to him for putting together a very strong weekend.”

Sebastian Vettel revealed there were a few moments of concern inside his cockpit after the chequered flag was waved one lap too soon at the end of the Canadian GP.

With supermodel Winnie Harlow given the distinction of bringing the race to a close, the FIA blamed a miscommunication between the starter accompanying Harlow and race control with a question from the starter asking if it was the final lap mistaken for a statement and leading to the premature flag.

Under the regulations, the race was counted back to lap 68 rather than original 70 but the impact was negligible with none of the points scorers changing position and only Daniel Ricciardo losing the fastest lap he set to Max Verstappen.

However, at the moment of it happening, Vettel admits he was left in a brief state of flux as well as other worries.

“I was just worried, I told them on the last lap, so people don’t jump on the track, waving flags and celebrating, because we are still going at full pace," he said.

“I even watched on TV [on a trackside big screen] and after I saw the chequered flag it said ‘FINAL LAP’ so then I was a bit confused.

“I told them that I think the race isn’t over yet, and they said, ‘no no no, keep pushing’.

“Some of the marshals were already celebrating – they peaked a bit early.”

Nowadays drivers don't have to depend on flags to know exactly when the race ends but as the four-time champion added: “If you lose radio and maybe the pit board is not there, then you back off, and being in the lead, you hope all the others back off as well!"

Fernando Alonso has claimed he would prefer to be remembered in Formula 1 as a driver who's success didn't match his talent rather than vice versa.

The Canadian GP called for a moment of reflection for the 36-year-old as he reached his 300th Grand Prix weekend in his 17-year career having won two world titles and 32 race wins.

However, those stats to many are very underwhelming for a driver still considered one of the best around with a stint now lasting five years since his last victory and attention seemingly shifting away to other projects such as competing at Le Mans this weekend and potentially switching to IndyCar in 2019.

“In a way, it’s better this way,” he was quoted by PlanetF1. “I would not be happy if I have many trophies at home and people think that I don’t deserve them. That would be even harder.

“Obviously we had some opportunities missed, especially the last three years, with McLaren-Honda, didn’t deliver the results we wanted.

“But I’m happy and I feel very privileged on everything we did so far."

The Spaniard also pointed out that at least he can rest knowing he achieved the ultimate prize in winning the F1 title, while other talented drivers have yet to achieve anything.

“There are drivers here that I race against that I see their talent and they have never been even on a podium," he said.

“I see my teammate now [Stoffel Vandoorne], I see Nico [Hulkenberg], I see Carlos [Sainz] – talented drivers.

“As I said, we missed some opportunities but I’m happy with the things we have done.”

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One man who definitely considers Alonso's time at the top in F1 to be over is 2016 champion Nico Rosberg, but the German believes Fernando only has himself to blame.

“We all want to see that (Alonso back at the front)," he told Sky Italia, "but nobody wants him because of his political games within the team."

Sebastian Vettel has defended criticism of another 'boring' Formula 1 race in Canada, by suggesting not all games in the upcoming World Cup will be classics.

In the top 10, only Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc moved up from their grid positions and even then only Leclerc produced an overtake outside of the opening lap or through the pit-stop phase.

The largely processional race followed an equally dull Grand Prix in Monaco, despite Pirelli bringing the three softest compounds and the FIA installing three DRS zones around the circuit.

“Life’s like this, or racing… racing’s probably like this," Vettel, who led every lap en route to victory suggested.

“I don’t think it’s justified to criticise the racing or criticise this race. I don’t know if it was boring.

“From my point of view, obviously, it’s still busy inside the car no matter where you are but I don’t like… I don’t know why people today are so short-sighted."

The run of three more lacklustre spectacles came after three close, competitive events in Bahrain, China and Baku which is the analogy Vettel used when talking about the upcoming football tournament.

“We had seven races this year, I think some were phenomenal, some were boring – but next week the World Cup is starting and I promise you that a lot of the games will not be exciting – but still people will watch it – but some games will be incredible," he said.

“That’s what we always look forward to – but it can’t just always continue to go up and get better."

The Ferrari driver even points out that in an ideal situation, drama is often what teams want the least.

“I think we do our job inside the car and if we can race, we race but obviously, we also do our job inside the car and try to avoid racing. Disappear, stay in front, or not get overtaken," Seb claimed.

“Some races are just exciting and others are not.”

Should Red Bull switch to Honda from 2019 then the Canadian GP will have likely been the turning point after junior team Toro Rosso heaped praise on its performance in Montreal.

With the senior team assessing whether to stick with Renault or twist with the Japanese manufacturer, the upgrades brought to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve had been touted as decisive to swaying that decision.

And while only marginal gains were seen on the RB14 the improvement of the STR13 was much more notable, particularly with Pierre Gasly who moved up from 19th to 11th during the race, one of the biggest movers on the grid.

“In the end, it was the right decision, even if we started a bit further [back]," the Frenchman said, with Toro Rosso opting to change him back to a new engine for Sunday after having to revert to an old unit for qualifying.

“I overtook a Haas, I overtook a Force India on the straight, which is the first time this year. For me [the new engine] is looking good. Promising.”

Asked by Autosport where he thinks he would have been with the prior spec, Gasly replied: "We would’ve finished, looking at the race, behind [Sergio] Perez I think, so would’ve been 14th.

“It was the right choice [to change it], because with the other one [it] would’ve been not possible to come back even from P16."

Considering where the main improvements were, the 20-year-old was pretty clear.

“Everything. Just more performance in general," he declared. “In terms of battery as well, in terms of energy management is better. It’s a really good step."

Keeping a watchful eye for Red Bull was advisor Helmut Marko, and the Austrian put a figure on the improvements made by Honda.

“We’re talking about three tenths a lap,” he told Auto Bild.

As tensions rise with Renault, each day that passes an unthinkable switch just a year ago now seems more and more likely.

Fernando Alonso has hinted he still sees a reason for optimism at McLaren as speculation grows over a possible switch to IndyCar in 2019.

Michael Andretti, a team owner in the American series, was at the Canadian GP last weekend after CEO Zak Brown and Alonso's manager were reportedly in the States discussing a full-time McLaren entry in IndyCar next season.

Following regular comments about how "sad" F1 has become and the possibility of being just an Indianapolis 500 away from the Triple Crown after this weekend's Le Mans 24 Hours makes a switch seem even more likely, however, the 36-year-old is adamant nothing has been decided.

“I don’t know, 2019 is still a long way ahead," he told Sky Sports after retiring from his 300th F1 race in Montreal.

"Normally, I try to take my decisions after the summer break and this year is no different. An important decision is coming for sure.”

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McLaren's inability to produce a car capable of challenging the top three teams has become the main frustration for Alonso, yet the double world champion does think the potential for success is still there.

“The gap to the front guys is quite significant, but McLaren and Renault are here to win and have won many things in the past," he claimed.

“I see a great future a bright future for this combination. I don’t know if the win will happen this year, next year or in five years.

“Definitely, this combination will bring nice results.”

Now in northern France ahead of his first Le Mans with Toyota, Fernando is looking forward to what will be a step into the unknown.

"It will be another new experience there and hopefully a good race for us," he stated.

Renault Sport managing director Cyril Abiteboul is threatening to leave Red Bull with no choice but to switch to Honda engines in 2019 if a decision isn't made imminently.

The Milton Keynes outfit has been trying to put off making a final call until their second home race in Austria at the end of the month after initially stating they will wait to compare the relative upgrades of their two options in Montreal.

Under the regulations, the decision should have come last month but it can be delayed if all parties agree, now though the French manufacturer is reaching their limit.

“I guess they have all the information that they need now. I don’t see why they are going to further delay the decision,” Abiteboul told Motorsport.com on Sunday in Canada.

“As per the regulations, [the deadline] was May 15, and then we accepted to extend that a little bit on the back of 12 years of good collaboration, but past a certain point, the offer we made, and that they requested, will not stand. It was Montreal that they wanted to wait for: our new spec, Honda’s new spec.

“They have all the information, I see no absolutely no reason to delay that any further.”

The Renault chief also ruled out remaining at the negotiating table until the Red Bull Ring citing the sacrifices they are already having to make.

“I don’t think so. It’s simply because we need to source the components," the Frenchman explained. “We’re already behind, and it’s Renault deciding the timing, not Red Bull.

 “Usually we speak after a weekend, we don’t do that on Sunday evening, with all the emotions, we let all the testosterone go down a little bit, and we will discuss.

“But we will not be able to wait for the sort of timing that they’ve mentioned this weekend.”

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Abiteboul wouldn't commit to exactly when Renault wants a decision only stating that Red Bull "know", but...

"[In] Austria, we won’t be here, and they will be talking directly to Honda," he insisted. 

Daniel Ricciardo believes problems fully adapting to the Renault engine upgrade introduced in Canada was responsible for his subdued performance over the weekend.

Following his dominance in Monaco, the Australian never looked fully happy with his Red Bull after problems in practice on Friday and then only managing sixth in qualifying while his teammate Max Verstappen shined.

Concerns before the weekend over reliability also weighed on his mind, with the engine parts he used a bit of a mash-up of those that still work, and there was a little irritation on his part when speaking after the race.

“We had the upgrade this weekend and my car struggled more with the driveability, the calibration,” Ricciardo told Sky Sports.

“It could have been better, let’s say that. I was just struggling to keep the tyres under control with that driveability.

“I would say it explains some of the inconsistency. But also Max was driving really well all weekend, so I won’t take that away from him.”

Despite the niggles, the Red Bull driver was still the only top six runner to make any progress on Sunday, jumping Kimi Raikkonen at the start and overcutting Lewis Hamilton in the pit-stop phase.

“I’m pretty happy we got through the whole weekend,” he said. “We got some good points, I believe we gained two points in the championship because we got Lewis."

“We’ll see what happens. It’ll bite us soon," he said referring to the likelihood of an engine penalty in the coming races. "We’ll try to stay on top while we can.”