McLaren have been mighty during the European triple header, scoring double podiums in each and only having to concede to Verstappen at Imola. However, with all these great results, a potential problem is starting to emerge.
McLaren has been using Mercedes engines since the 2021 season and has shown significant improvement since 2024. However, during the European triple header, we have seen four separate incidents where Mercedes clients have had mechanical failures leading to DNFs. Two of those belong to Mercedes’ own Kimi Antonelli.
Mercedes engines could prove to be a crutch for both drivers’ 2025 title bids
Each car has a limited set of mechanical parts it can use for a season. This goes for gearboxes, exhaust systems, turbo systems and also internal combustion engines. Each of these parts has a limited lifespan and could fail at any point. Mercedes has proven to be very reliable in manufacturing parts, given Hamilton’s streak of 48 consecutive race finishes from 2018 to 2020.
Antonelli starts the long walk back to the pits
Horrible luck for the hometown hero 😖#F1 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/z8LP6W9VcS
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 18, 2025
With the latest results from Mercedes-powered cars, a mechanical failure could very well ruin either McLaren driver’s qualifying or race, costing them very valuable points in the championship. Usually, teams will monitor the wear and tear of these parts and replace them before any serious problems appear. However, the recent trend of sudden engine failures could become a factor later this season.
McLaren is currently dominating both championships with Piastri leading Norris in the driver standings by 10 points and Verstappen by a further 39 points. The constructors’ championship has McLaren nearly 200 points clear of second-placed Ferrari, who have only 165 points.
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In third place is Mercedes, which has been severely hampered by the mentioned DNFs. Mercedes only scored 18 points during the triple header. Finally, fourth place in the Team’s Standings is Red Bull, who continue to struggle with the second car failing to score.
Should McLaren start experiencing reliability issues, needing to turn down the performance or take penalties due to exceeding the allotted amount of parts, the 2025 season could end in a spectacular finish.
