Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Istanbul Park, 2021

Mercedes seeking cause of “unusual noises” which led to engine changes

2021 Turkish Grand Prix

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Mercedes has changed engines three times in the last three races because it is concerned by “unusual noises” which it cannot fully explain.

Lewis Hamilton has been given a 10-place grid penalty this weekend after Mercedes swapped the internal combustion engine in his M12 power unit for a fresh example. It follows penalties for Valtteri Bottas for similar changes in the previous two races.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes the problem has arisen because they are pushing their engines harder than before in their efforts to beat Red Bull in the championship.

“It’s tricky, when you start to push the boundaries with power unit performance at a certain stage you will experience some obstacles,” said Wolff. “And our power units have been the most reliable since the introduction of the of the hybrid engines in 2014.

“Because these boundaries are being pushed we have seen examples of, let’s say, unusual noises within the combustion engine that aren’t completely understood at that stage yet and therefore caused some trouble. In the past 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.”

While Hamilton has taken a fourth engine this weekend, Wolff is hopeful one of his previous units can still be used at upcoming rounds, though it may not be run in races.

“It was clear that we needed to take the fourth one,” he said. “The question is how and when do we want to deploy power unit number three, which is still in the pool.

“That’s something we would need to assess in the next couple of races because you could decide want to run it only on Fridays or also run it, let’s say, on Saturday or Sunday.”

By only changing Hamilton’s internal combustion engine and no other parts, Mercedes were able to limit his penalty to 10 grid places. Wolff is confident this was the correct decision.

“The other parts like the turbo or the other auxiliary elements are in wonderful shape and really happy, easily within the mileage limits,” he said. “And therefore we didn’t need to take new components.”

Formula 1 will introduce a freeze on power unit development next season, which will remain in place until at least 2025. Mercedes will ensure their current problems are addressed before that deadline.

“I think balancing performance and reliability has always been the key metrics in the last couple of years, and it will be also going forward,” he said. “We will not be carrying any deficits into next year because the deficits are being understood and now it’s about finding solutions that contain these.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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7 comments on “Mercedes seeking cause of “unusual noises” which led to engine changes”

  1. Just turn up the stereo. hard to believe that with all the telemetry and diagnostics they are like, it makes a noise.

  2. The little man who works the pistons wants out.

    1. when dial up modems first came out, and i used one, and as soon as i started the connection procedure instantly turned it off hearing the noise it made, was like whadda going…. once used to it, u dont hear it anymore… these piston guys hear the noise everyday i think, and they understand the tunes it should make… but there is an element to this that mercedes maybe tricking others as saying “reliability” concerns, like honda’s “reliability” fixes put them in the front line, it could very well be a performance update as well

  3. Unusual noise = Lewis saying the tyres are fine and will make it to the end ;P

  4. must be the GrimR

  5. “Oh, that’s where that damn 10mm socket went!”

  6. Could be stones in the hub caps or a marble in the ash-tray.
    More likely that without the sand-bags, there is nothing to stop a mysterious vibration.
    Why is it that Williams and Aston M. are not having issues.? Are the Power Units different or just not being run as hard.?

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