Mercedes: We have no money for F1 upgrades

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted the team cannot afford to keep upgrading its W17 under F1's cost cap. "We haven't got the money to put developments on the car," he said, after Mercedes' early-season dominance has been steadily eroded.

Why it matters:

Mercedes won the opening six grands prix and took pole at the first 10 races. Since then, it has won only two of the next six, with Ferrari and McLaren also taking two wins apiece. Lando Norris's victories in Hungary and Zandvoort show how quickly McLaren has closed in.

The details:

• Budget reality: Wolff insists the lack of upgrades is not a strategic choice. "It is a development race. If you bring an upgrade, each of the top teams will have a couple of tenths in it, at least, and that's what you lose."
• Part counts: Ferrari has declared 40 new parts through the first 12 rounds, while McLaren and Red Bull have 38 each. Mercedes has introduced only 24. Even when weighted by the scale of the upgrade, Mercedes trails its rivals.
• Different strategy: Wolff says some teams may be spending more at the beginning and middle of the season, while Mercedes is trying to preserve capacity for later. He also rejected the suggestion that Mercedes overspent on the initial design.
• Reliability: Power unit issues have cost Mercedes an estimated 50-100 points, affecting both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

What's next:

Mercedes is not expected to bring another major W17 upgrade for another four races. Antonelli still leads the championship, 59 points ahead of Russell and Lewis Hamilton and 83 clear of Norris, but the margin is increasingly vulnerable.