Mercedes is looking into the engine failure that ended Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix – a setback that could impact the rest of his season.
The Italian rookie was on track for a seventh-place finish at Barcelona, set to secure valuable points for the German marque.
But a power unit failure heading into Turn 10 on Lap 55 forced him into the gravel trap, bringing his W16 to a halt with smoke billowing from the car.
After the race, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff addressed the suspected cause of Antonelli’s retirement.
“We have to look at whether that was an engine failure today, it clearly looks like that at first sight,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“That is our strength, so we need to see where that comes from.”
A second DNF in just three Grands Prix rounded off a tough start to the European leg of the season for the 18-year-old.
Antonelli suffered a mechanical issue at Imola, his home Grand Prix, a throttle issue curtailing his race after recovering from a poor qualifying.
Another tough Saturday set the tone for a tedious Monaco race, where he lingered behind the Williams road block and ultimately finished 18th.
Mercedes Technical Director James Allison provided an update on the team’s ongoing investigation into the latest fault during the post-race debrief.
“We don’t know what let go in the PU yet,” he said on the team’s post-race debrief. “It’s made its way back to Brixworth, they’ll dismantle it, figure out what’s let go, work out what they need to do as recommendations for the whole pool of race engines, not just in our team, but also in the customer teams as well.
“Hopefully, we won’t see any repeat of it in the remainder of the season. I’m sure there’s numerous tests we can now do to look at that reliability in the pool.”
Allison on managing Mercedes’ power unit challenges
F1 teams have a limited allocation of power unit components that they can use throughout the season.
If a team exceeds this allowance due to component failures, it can lead to grid penalties.
Asked how the allocation looks for Antonelli for the rest of the 2025 campaign, Allison explained the challenges that lie ahead.
“Well, it puts some pressure on the pool, so we could put in a new power unit next race weekend, suffer no penalties because we’re still below the maximum number you’re allowed to use in a year without penalty,” he added.
“But of course, we’re only a third of the way through the year.
“So that’s going to put quite a strain on the remainder of the pool if we have to eke it out till the end of the year.
“We’ll be just eyeballing up how to marshal those remaining resources in a good way.
“But yes, it’s obviously no fun when a power unit comes out of the pool before delivering its full life.”
READ MORE – How ‘compromised’ Imola weekend will be a ‘good lesson’ for Kimi Antonelli
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