Although Mercedes has emerged as the team to beat in F1\u2019s new era, Helmut Marko believes the W17 has one vulnerability that could hurt the team \u2013 the reliability of its power unit.<\/p>\n
Mercedes came out of the blocks on a charge this season as Formula 1 introduced new cars as well as a new engine formula.<\/p>\n
Helmut Marko warns Mercedes reliability could affect title fight<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n The team secured six consecutive Grand Prix victories from pole position before Lewis Hamilton ended his former team\u2019s streak at the Barcelona Grand Prix<\/p>\n Mercedes<\/a>, though, still has a healthy lead in both championships. <\/p>\n Kimi Antonelli is 41 points ahead of the Ferrari driver in the drivers\u2019 standings, while Mercedes has a 72-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors\u2019 championship.<\/p>\n However, both leads could have been bigger had George Russell and Antonelli not suffered retirements in Canada and Barcelona. <\/p>\n Russell experienced a \u201ccatastrophic\u201d battery failure in Montreal while fighting Antonelli, who would go on to win the Grand Prix, while an \u201celectrical shutdown\u201d cost Antonelli in Spain. There too, the DNF occurred during the midst of a Mercedes teammate tussle, with Russell finishing the Grand Prix in second place.<\/p>\n The two DNFs potentially cost Mercedes the points for a second and third place, although no one can say for certain.<\/p>\n It has Marko saying that while Mercedes is the favourite for the titles, the team\u2019s reliability issues could cost it dearly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe new regulations clearly put Mercedes in the favourite\u2019s role,\u201d he told Kleine Zeitung.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, they\u2019ve already had their second engine failure, which is unusual for them.\u201d<\/p>\n F1 2026: The season\u2019s winners and losers<\/p>\n The results of the F1 2026 championship <\/a><\/p>\n The F1 2026 Drivers\u2019 and Constructors\u2019 Championship standings<\/a><\/p>\n Aside from reliability, another big factor in this year\u2019s championship will be development as the team cars are in their infancy.<\/p>\n While Ferrari has already introduced two huge upgrade packages, the Scuderia\u2019s rivals have been a bit more cautious in bringing new parts to their cars.<\/p>\n \u201cGenerally speaking,\u201d Marko said, \u201cupdates are certainly more effective at this stage of the regulations; you can gain five-tenths of a second in one go.\u201d<\/p>\n The former Red Bull motorsport advisor is hoping Red Bull get it right and deliver a race-winning car for his former charge Max Verstappen.<\/p>\n \u201cRed Bull is fielding a car at the weight limit for the first time, so they\u2019ll definitely be there,\u201d he said. \u201cI hope Max can then be up front. <\/p>\n \u201cMercedes is the favourite, but the rest of the field is more than interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n Verstappen is seventh in the drivers\u2019 standings after seven rounds having scored just one podium on his way to 55 points. Red Bull is fourth in the teams\u2019 standings with 89 points, 173 behind Mercedes.<\/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