Mercedes power unit failures could cost Antonelli victories in title fight, warns Schiff

Kimi Antonelli’s Formula 1 championship lead may be under threat from within his own garage, according to analyst Naomi Schiff, who warned that Mercedes’ recurring power unit reliability problems could strip the Italian of race wins as the season progresses.

Antonelli currently tops the drivers’ standings on 320 points, 84 ahead of team-mate George Russell, whose gap widened at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia after Russell suffered a power unit failure in the closing laps at Sepang while in contention for a podium.

“It’s not great that they’re happening. It’s happened multiple times, not just with George’s car. Kimi’s also had some issues,” Schiff said. “Other Mercedes power unit cars have had issues. So, there is a wider issue that I think Toto [Wolff] is probably concerned about. We noticed his frustration, and we can understand why he’s as frustrated as that.”

Schiff argued the problem extends beyond individual misfortune and represents a systemic risk to Mercedes’ constructors’ campaign as well as Antonelli’s maiden title push. “That could cost Kimi some more victories. It could just cost the team a lot of constructors’ points,” she said, pointing to Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar running close to Max Verstappen at Sepang as evidence that rival teams are ready to capitalise on any Mercedes stumble.

Schiff also reflected on Russell’s difficult season, noting the bitter irony of the Briton’s situation. “Poor George. I feel for him. I don’t want to give him a pass because his job is to be quicker than his team-mate. But in this year where it was meant to be his year, where Mercedes finally have a competitive car for him — I guess he dropped the ball somewhat.”

With the reliability concerns now spanning multiple cars and customer teams, the pressure on Mercedes’ engineering operation in Brixworth to find a fix is mounting. Antonelli’s 84-point cushion provides some buffer, but in a season where the Silver Arrows finally have the pace to fight at the front, self-inflicted failures represent the most avoidable threat to their championship ambitions.