Mercedes find answers to 'painful' F1 failures

Kimi Antonelli getting off a boat looking suspicious at the Monaco Grand Prix — Photo: © IMAGO

Mercedes

Mercedes find answers to 'painful' F1 failures

Bad news for Ferrari...

Chris Deeley

Sunday 21 June 2026 17:54

Mercedes technical director James Allison has revealed that the team have nailed down the source of the reliability issues which have hounded their power units this year.

The issue's impact reaches far wider than just the Silver Arrows, with Mercedes the most prolific power unit supplier on the grid – also providing engines for McLaren, Alpine and Williams.

McLaren have most notably struggled with power unit and battery reliability early in 2026, with both of their cars unable to start the Chinese Grand Prix with similar but separate battery issues, and Lando Norris retiring from the Monaco Grand Prix with a battery problem.

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While Alpine and Williams have been remarkably resistant to the Mercedes power unit gremlins thus far this season, the Silver Arrows themselves have started to fall foul of it – with an engine failure in Monaco for George Russell followed up by a matching problem for Kimi Antonelli in Barcelona.

Mercedes expect F1 fortunes to improve

Speaking on the team's Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show this week, Allison admitted that the issues hurting Mercedes-powered cars this year have originated in the 'same broad part of the battery'.

He did reveal that a potential fix is coming 'with a bit of luck', with a plan to phase in new battery units over the course of the season.

"I think anyone who's a keen watcher of the sport will have seen that this has laid a few Mercedes engine cars low over the season so far," he admitted.

"They're not all identical, but they do sort of originate in the same broad part of the battery. And I think that most of the areas of risk have been understood and, with a bit of luck, when we start to sort of phase in the new modules into the racing season – we call the battery the 'module' – then our fortunes as a fleet should pick up.

"Obviously for us, that's an important thing. These DNFs are very, very painful."

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