Wolff explains cause of engine problems: 'Comes from fight with Ferrari'

For the last few Grands Prix, Mercedes has been handing out new engines to its drivers as if they were sweets. The manufacturer is therefore not entirely sure about the reliability of the engines, which according to Toto Wolff is due to the fight with Ferrari in 2019.

In the hybrid era the Mercedes engine seems unapproachable. Where other teams were sidelined every other Grand Prix with problems, Mercedes drivers were able to continue driving undisturbed. But that seems to have changed this season, after many concerns arose at the team about the reliability of the engine.

According to Toto Wolff, the reason for this is the fight in 2019 with Ferrari, when the team from Maranello suddenly started very fast after the summer break. "We pushed ourselves very hard in 2019 and because of that we came into 2020 with an engine that was right there, but maybe it stretched us too much. When you're constantly looking for more speed, sometimes you lose sight of reliability. And I think that happened in this case," the team boss explained to Motorsport.com.

Reliability concerns

To ease concerns at Mercedes, the team has recently been focusing on improving reliability, possibly even driving on a longer stand. Still, the team has decided to put a new internal combustion engine in Lewis Hamilton 's car.

"We weren't 100 percent comfortable yet in terms of reliability and the degradation. What we know for sure is that we lose power as we use more power. That's why we didn't want to use the same engine and find out in Saudi Arabia or Abu Dhabi that there's not much left of it, if we're still fighting for the championship then," explained Wolff. The new engine will at least allow Hamilton to fly around the Sao Paulo circuit, with the Briton much quicker than the competition in qualifying.

Remarkably, Red Bull Racing 's Honda engine has had almost no problems this season, while in other years the Japanese manufacturer has been the laughing stock when it comes to reliability. "We are competing against an extremely potent and reliable Honda engine, and these guys have used all the resources you possibly can this season. We need to make sure we start next year with an engine that is just as good in terms of performance," Wolff concluded.