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Mercedes have been plagued with reliability issues in 2026, and David Coulthard says the problem will only ‘get worse’ throughout the season.
While Mercedes have the best overall package on the grid, the power unit is proving to be desperately unreliable. These issues were exposed early on, with McLaren criticising Mercedes for withholding information about the engine.
McLaren have suffered multiple mechanical failures this season, and now Mercedes are facing the same issue. George Russell retired in Canada with a battery failure, and Kimi Antonelli suffered the same fate in Barcelona.
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David Coulthard says Mercedes’ reliability woes will only ‘get worse’ as Ferrari apply pressure
Antonelli’s retirement allowed Lewis Hamilton to close the gap to 41 points in the championship standings with his victory in Barcelona. Russell was stunned by Ferrari’s pace over the weekend, with his former teammate winning by 19.5 seconds.
The Maranello outfit are determined to close the gap to their rivals. Ferrari are already planning an engine upgrade for Austria, and Lando Norris fears that they could be dominant with it.
Mercedes need to find answers to their reliability problems, but Coulthard has warned that the problems will only worsen as the season progresses.
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Discussing Hamilton’s title chances, he told F1.com: “He’s second in the World Championship, Mercedes have got reliability concerns, and that’s only going to get worse as the year goes on, so could we be talking about someone who’s in the hunt for the World Championship?
“Max came back from 100 points at this race and almost won it in Abu Dhabi.
“His whole career feels a bit Hollywood. I know we’ve been introduced to Hollywood with F1 The Movie, and all the success that’s there. If you’re Liberty [Media, F1’s commercial rights holders], it just doesn’t get better.
“Lewis has had his mojo since the beginning of the year, which is great to see. It may feel like we’re all jumping on a bandwagon, but the sport tells us the performances, and that was world-class.”
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Kimi Antonelli and George Russell at serious risk of penalties thanks to Mercedes’ reliability issues
Another reason for Mercedes to get their act together and solve their reliability woes is the risk of grid penalties.
As per a report from La Gazzetta della Sport, drivers are allocated three batteries for the 2026 season. Using any extras will result in a 10-place grid penalty.
Thanks to Mercedes’ issues, Russell and Antonelli have already used two each after just seven races. The Silver Arrows must resolve the problem as soon as possible, or it could not only put their drivers on the back foot in future races, but it could also cost them the championship,
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