Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff assured the team is \u201creally digging deep\u201d to ensure another power unit-related reliability issue does not befall the team.<\/p>\n
Kimi Antonelli suffered what appeared to be a third battery issue of the season in a Mercedes-powered car, with the same issue having befallen George Russell in Canada, and McLaren\u2019s Lando Norris in Monaco.<\/p>\n
Toto Wolff addresses Mercedes reliability concerns<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Reliability had been flagged as a crucial area in the 2026 regulations, and while Mercedes and its customers have shown themselves to be reliable on the whole, its main Achilles heel has come from the power unit, with both Oscar Piastri and Norris unable to start the Chinese Grand Prix due to separate engine issues, as well as a separate gearbox problem for Norris in Canada.<\/p>\n Antonelli had been on course for second place in the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on Sunday, executing an excellent overtake on his teammate before coming to an abrupt halt a lap later out of Turn 5, only five laps from the end.<\/p>\n The Italian believed some kind of battery issue befell him at the weekend, and with his and Russell\u2019s issues added to by McLaren\u2019s retirements, the Mercedes team principal and CEO has said its High Performance Powertrains department will seek to end these reliability problems.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know yet what was the cause of the failure,\u201d Wolff said to PlanetF1.com and others in Barcelona.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of the others were battery-related, but different failures. It was not always the same, so we need to understand what it was, but clearly the symptom was quite similar, that the car, like George in Montreal, where the car just switched off.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will be really digging deep to make sure that this doesn\u2019t happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n As for Antonelli, he still remains well clear at the top of the standings, albeit his 41-point lead is now 25 points lower after Lewis Hamilton\u2019s first win for Ferrari.<\/p>\n The 19-year-old explained more about how his race came to a sudden halt, with no warnings from behind the wheel that he was about to retire from the race.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt very good today. I felt very strong, especially on managing tyres,\u201d Antonelli added in his post-race media rounds.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a shame because we lost a few points, but it\u2019s not the time to be sad or anything. Of course, it hurts now, but I think in a couple of days I\u2019ll be fine, and already focusing on to the next one.<\/p>\n More from the world of Formula 1<\/p>\n F1 team valuations 2026: Mercedes closes in on Ferrari as most valuable team<\/a><\/p>\n F1 driver contracts: What is the current contract status of every driver on the 2026 grid?<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think it was something related with battery, I\u2019m not too sure, but it just switched off, didn\u2019t know it was coming, but it\u2019s what it is.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t have any warnings, the car just switched off and I tried to reboot the car completely, because I was hoping it would come alive again, but there was no chance, and it was a terminal failure.<\/p>\n \u201cIt happens, part of racing, but at least pace was good today, I think, and now we\u2019ll focus into the next one.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n