Cause of engine fire Mercedes found: Reliability concerns unnecessary?

That George Russell's engine was unsalvageable after the fire aboard George Russell's Mercedes W14 during the Australian Grand Prix soon seemed obvious. Mercedes has now also found the cause of the fire and does not seem to have any immediate concerns about the reliability of the equipment.

In just three races in the 2023 F1 season, two Mercedes engines have already failed. The Mercedes engine in Lando Norris' McLaren broke down in Saudi Arabia. This was due to a fault in the valve system and was the starting signal for concerns about reliability at Mercedes. When in Australia, the race after, Russell's engine caught fire, the concerns seemed justified.

Concerns over Mercedes reliability justified?

According to Auto Motor und Sport, Russell's engine has been officially declared broken and will therefore no longer be able to be used. The Briton will not yet receive a grid penalty for this. In addition, the medium reports that Mercedes has also found the cause of the sudden engine fire. It is said to be a piece of debris that got into the engine. Team boss Toto Wolff said soon after the incident that something had probably got into the cylinder.

Mercedes engineers can now confirm that. An unusual component had entered the engine's combustion process. That led to power loss and the end of the race. The turbocharger and the MGU-H were broken. The other parts of the engine are still under investigation. The debris came from a car part that was not part of the sealed engine section. That may be a positive for Mercedes; the cause is not in the construction of the engine itself.