MGU-K "gremlin" forced Mercedes to turn down power at F1 Abu Dhabi GP
Mercedes has admitted to concerns over an MGU-K "gremlin" ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that has forced all its Formula 1 teams to turn down their power
With power unit components getting towards the end of their life, Mercedes' worries have been heightened by a recent run of breakages.
Racing Point's Sergio Perez lost a near certain podium at the Bahrain Grand Prix when he suffered an MGU-K failure late in the race, while Williams driver George Russell suffered a similar issue in Friday practice in Abu Dhabi.
Amid no definitive answer as to what is going wrong with the MGU-Ks, Mercedes has elected to try to play things safe for the season finale.
Turning the power down a bit almost certainly played a part in helping Max Verstappen take the first non-Mercedes powered pole position this season.
Asked about the situation, Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff confirmed that all the power units had been backed off a bit.
"We've got a bit of a gremlin sitting in there," he said.
"The MGU-K is below the power that it should normally give. We don't understand exactly why yet. So we've taken a bit of performance out of it, on all the Mercedes engines."
The question marks over Mercedes reliability played a part in Racing Point's decision to switch Sergio Perez to a completely new power unit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
It means the Mexican will start from the back of the grid.
Although the engine factor hindered Mercedes' performance in qualifying, Wolff says Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas' efforts have also been hampered by difficulties getting on top of the tyres this weekend.
"We didn't get the soft tyre right," explained Wolff.
"That's an outlier. The overall gap to the field is much smaller than we would have liked and we have to learn from that now.
"We can't say exactly what it is yet. We did quite well on the medium. The tyre suited us much better than the soft.
"But we were also very strong on the soft this year. You have to analyse the data, but we are not there yet."
McLaren braced for Racing Point fightback in F1 constructors' battle decider
F1 Abu Dhabi GP: Verstappen beats Mercedes duo to win 2020 finale
The downside to F1's show and tell proposal
Technology lies at the heart of the F1 story and it fascinates fans, which is why the commercial rights holder plans to compel teams to show more of their ‘secrets’. STUART CODLING fears this will encourage techno-quackery…
How getting sacked gave Mercedes F1’s tech wizard lasting benefits
He’s had a hand in world championship-winning Formula 1 cars for Benetton, Renault and Mercedes, and was also a cog in the Schumacher-Ferrari axis. Having recently ‘moved upstairs’ as Mercedes chief technical officer, James Allison tells STUART CODLING about his career path and why being axed by Benetton was one of the best things that ever happened to him
The remarkable qualities that propelled Kubica’s F1 comeback
It’s easy to look at Robert Kubica’s second Formula 1 career and feel a sense of sadness that he didn’t reach the heights for which he seemed destined. But as BEN ANDERSON discovered, performance and results are almost meaningless in this context – something more fundamental and incredible happened…
The humbling changes Ricciardo made to deliver the goods for McLaren
From being lapped by his own team-mate in Monaco to winning at Monza, it’s been a tumultuous first season at McLaren for Daniel Ricciardo. But, as he tells STUART CODLING, there’s more to the story of his turnaround than having a lovely summer holiday during Formula 1's summer break...
The potential benefits of losing the F1 constructors' title
As the battle continues to rage over the F1 2021 drivers' championship, teams up and down the grid are turning their attentions to the prize money attributed to each position in the constructors' standings. But F1's sliding scale rules governing windtunnel and CFD use will soften the blow for those who miss out on the top places
The invisible enemy that’s made Hamilton’s title charge tougher
After winning his past few Formula 1 titles at a canter, Lewis Hamilton currently trails Max Verstappen by eight points heading into the final double-header of 2021. Although Red Bull has been his biggest on-track challenge, Hamilton feels that he has just as much to grapple with away from the circuit
Why F1’s inconvenient penalties have to stay
OPINION: Quibbles over the length of time taken by Formula 1's stewards over decisions are entirely valid. But however inconvenient it is, there can be no questioning the importance of having clearly defined rules that everyone understands and can stick to. Recent events have shown that ambiguity could have big consequences
The mistakes Red Bull cannot afford to repeat in F1 2021’s title fight climax
OPINION: Red Bull has had Formula 1’s fastest package for most of 2021, but in several of the title run-in events it has wasted the RB16B’s potential. It cannot afford to do so again with Lewis Hamilton motoring back towards Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings with two rounds remaining