Mercedes heard 'unusual noises' in combustion engine Hamilton

Mercedes opted to replace Lewis Hamilton's internal combustion engine for the Turkish Grand Prix as there were concerns over the reliability of the component. According to Toto Wolff, it is not without reason that the ICE is the only component that was replaced.

The need was higher for the internal combustion engine than for the hybrid parts, the Mercedes team boss maintains. "At a certain point, when you start to push the limits in terms of engine performance, you have to deal with some obstacles," he says as The Race points to the internal combustion engine as a pain point.

"Our power units have been the most reliable since the introduction of the hybrid engines in 2014. Because these boundaries are being pushed, we have seen examples of unusual noises within the combustion engine that aren’t completely understood at that stage yet, and therefore caused some trouble in the past," explains the Austrian.

He continues: "We had engines that basically failed. And now it’s about containing the problem. Because in that phase, redesigning parts is not something you would tackle." Wolff insists that the hybrid parts of the engine are in 'wonderful condition' and are not a cause for concern.