Allison: Mercedes Battery Issues 'Understood' After Costly Antonelli and Russell DNFs

Mercedes is confident it has turned a corner on the battery failures that have blighted its 2026 campaign. Technical director James Allison confirmed the manufacturer has identified the root causes of the power unit issues that ended George Russell and Kimi Antonelli's races from leading positions.

Why it matters:

The retirements have cost Mercedes vital championship points in a tightly contested season. Russell lost a potential win in Montreal when his W17 shut down while leading, and Antonelli retired from second in Barcelona after taking the position from his teammate. Beyond lost points, the team has been forced to run its power units more conservatively until a permanent fix is validated, trading immediate pace for durability.

The details:

• Allison stated on the Nu Silver Arrows radio show that the failures trace back to the same "broad part of the battery," and that "most of the areas of risk have been understood."
• After Russell's failure in Canada, the damaged battery had to be shipped back to the UK by sea due to aviation fire-risk restrictions, delaying deep forensic analysis by several months.
• Mercedes is now phasing in new battery modules throughout the season. Allison expects "our fortunes as a fleet should pick up" as the updated hardware is introduced.
• In the interim, the team has taken what Allison called a "slight half step backwards," running existing units below their limit to prevent repeat failures while engineers finalize a proper cure.

What's next:

Mercedes will hope the updated batteries resolve the issues that have also affected customer teams, including McLaren's earlier electrical troubles. If the new modules deliver as promised, the team can push the W17 harder without compromising reliability—a crucial step if Mercedes is to convert its front-running pace into consistent results and remain in the title fight.