Mercedes have identified a battery issue behind the costly Formula 1 retirements suffered by George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in two of the last three grands prix.
The world championship leaders are working on fixes after Russell stopped while leading the Canadian Grand Prix and Antonelli retired from second place in the closing laps of last weekend’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
Technical director James Allison has linked the failures to the battery system inside the Mercedes power unit, with customer teams also having suffered reliability trouble during the opening months of F1’s new regulations era, according to a fresh update from Motorsport.com.
Mercedes Reliability Fix Now Shapes Austria Build-Up
The timing matters because Mercedes head to the Austrian Grand Prix with speed in hand but with reliability now central to their title defence. Antonelli remains in the championship fight, while Russell has already lost a likely win and major points to the same broad problem.
The issue also changes how rivals view Mercedes’ advantage. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton has gained momentum since his Barcelona win, and every retirement from the Silver Arrows gives the chasing pack a route back into both championships.
For Mercedes, the message is clear: the battery fix is no longer background engineering work. It is now a live title-race priority before the next race weekend begins.
