Overview
- Mercedes introduced the latest-spec power unit on its works cars at the Austrian Grand Prix and has begun supplying the revised units to customer teams.
- The upgrade centers on modified batteries aimed at improving reliability after a run of battery-related failures rather than delivering a straight power boost.
- Williams and Alpine moved to the revised unit at Silverstone but McLaren remains the only Mercedes customer not yet fitted with the update.
- McLaren CEO Zak Brown said the delay is strategic because the team has usable life left on its current engines and will install the new unit when an engine change is scheduled.
- The staggered rollout could affect short-term competitiveness by reducing the risk of failures for teams that adopt it early, while McLaren expects the change to arrive shortly and remains confident it can close the gap this season.