Mercedes’ pre-season programme suffered further disruption at pre-season testing in Bahrain after engine trouble forced a power unit change early on Day 2.
The Silver Arrows were slow to emerge in the morning session at the Bahrain International Circuit, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli completing just three laps on the softest compound tyre before returning to the garage. The delay was later attributed to a power unit change.
The setback compounds what has already been a challenging start to testing for the Brackley-based outfit.
On Day 1, a suspension issue significantly limited running, restricting Antonelli to just 30 laps. Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin explained on Day 1 that the team had lost valuable time while investigating the suspension issue.
“During the various changes, we discovered an issue on the suspension that required further investigation,” Shovlin said in a team release. “That cost us a couple of hours and, once we had left the garage, we only had time remaining for two sets of the hardest tyre to baseline the car and work on our long running.”
The latest power unit issue means Mercedes have now lost substantial track time across the opening two days, a concern given the limited pre-season running available before the campaign begins.
Mercedes were not alone in facing early difficulties. Red Bull also experienced disruption to their morning programme following an overnight hydraulic issue. Isack Hadjar, scheduled for a full day in the car after Max Verstappen ran extensively on Day 1, was yet to take to the track during the early part of the session.
Beyond reliability concerns, Mercedes may also be contending with an early performance gap.
Speaking to ESPN after Day 1 of testing, team principal Toto Wolff suggested that Red Bull currently set the benchmark.
“The car, the power unit are the benchmark at the moment, I would say. And then obviously you have Max in the car. That combination is strong. Look at the energy deployment today,” Wolff said. “They are able to deploy far more energy on the straights than everybody else.”
If those early assessments hold, Mercedes face not only reliability setbacks but also the prospect of chasing a pace advantage that Red Bull appear to have established.
With limited testing days remaining, clean mileage and data gathering will be critical ahead of the season opener.
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