Jolyon Palmer fears Mercedes have ‘fundamental’ electrical issue that could cost them vs Ferrari

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Jolyon Palmer says Mercedes’ unreliability gives Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton genuine ‘hope’ of challenging for the title.

Hamilton cut Kimi Antonelli’s lead at the top of the standings to 41 points by winning the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix last weekend as the Italian driver retired late on.

It’s the second time in three weekends that a Mercedes driver has suffered a race-ending failure after George Russell in Canada.

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Jolyon Palmer: Battery issues are ‘plaguing’ Mercedes in Ferrari fight

Palmer is particularly concerned that many of Mercedes’ issues stem from the battery. As well as the recent works team retirements, this was the explanation for Lando Norris’ DNF in Monaco.

Earlier in the season, both McLaren drivers were unable to take the start in China due to electrical problems.

While Charles Leclerc recorded Ferrari’s retirement of the year in Barcelona, Palmer said this was a ‘routine’ problem, while Mercedes’ issues may be more ‘fundamental’.

“Ferrari also have the more reliable car, even if Barcelona showed that nobody is infallible to retirements in 2026,” Palmer wrote in his column for the official F1 site.

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“Antonelli’s failure is a bigger concern than Leclerc’s. Antonelli’s looked to be another battery-related issue, something that has plagued Mercedes and their customer teams this year, costing Antonelli points, just as it cost George Russell in Canada.

“Leclerc’s was a hydraulic issue, which of course will be investigated thoroughly, but is a more routine issue rather than something that is potentially a fundamental flaw of a more complex part of the car.”

The Mercedes drivers could potentially face grid penalties later in the season because both are already on their second battery. The maximum allocation for the season is three – anyone who uses a fourth faces a 10-place drop.

Ferrari can’t rely solely on Mercedes failing to make the chequered flag, of course. They must also be able to win races on merit, and they did that in Barcelona with their upgraded car.

Hamilton has praised Ferrari’s reliability as a ‘great’ asset against his former team. The power unit may be down on power, but perhaps there was an element of deliberate caution at play.