F1 paddock theory now emerges about why ‘cutting-edge’ McLaren haven’t suffered with Mercedes engine failures

McLaren have yet to suffer a retirement this season, which might seem like a strange thing to say considering the state of Lando Norris’ car at the end of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Lando Norris drove into the back of teammate Oscar Piastri in the closing stage of the race in Montreal to bring his hopes of scoring points to an end.

However, Norris officially finished the race in 18th having already completed 90% of the distance of the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday.

It means that the five-second time penalty he received won’t be carried over to the next race in Austria, which would have added insult to injury for the McLaren driver.

McLaren are one of three customer teams who use Mercedes engines but haven’t suffered with the same problems as Aston Martin, Williams or the factory team this season with their power units.

Alex Albon retired from the race in Canada, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Fernando Alonso also suffered failures during the last triple header.

Alpine will use Mercedes power units next season and will hope any issues are ironed out by then.

However, people around the paddock are beginning to wonder if McLaren may have an advantage over all of their Mercedes-powered rivals this year that even Toto Wolff’s team can’t manage.

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

McLaren avoided Mercedes power unit issues by being ‘over-efficient’ this season

A report from the Spanish outlet Marca has shared more details about how each Mercedes-powered team is faring this year.

They report that Williams have had to tell Albon and Carlos Sainz to turn their engines down at various points this year, particularly when the temperatures get too hot.

Although each engine supplied is identical, Mercedes ‘always has a few more laps allowed at maximum performance’ due to the management and fuel used, but reliability should be the same across all four manufacturers.

However, ‘technical analysts’ in the paddock have a theory about why McLaren are the only team not to have suffered a power unit failure during the 2025 F1 season.

It’s believed that the ‘over-efficient’ McLaren means the team don’t need to turn their power units up to the maximum level.

They also have ‘cutting-edge’ technology that keeps certain parts in the car at a more stable temperature compared to their rivals.

Williams have had the most engine problems out of the Mercedes-powered teams, but have no complaints with the power units they’ve been given.

Instead, they’re still trying to find a solution for why their car seems to suffer more in hotter temperatures.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

What people are saying about Mercedes’ power unit for the 2026 F1 regulation change

Mercedes will hope that the issues some of their rivals are having this season don’t continue into next year.

Formula 1’s regulations change in 2026, meaning every team needs to build a brand new power unit.

Honda will start their partnership with Aston Martin, but as mentioned before, Alpine will take their place as a Mercedes-backed team.

Whispers in the paddock suggest Mercedes’ 2026 engine is very strong, but until cars take to the track, it’s impossible to know how it compares.

However, the whispers in the paddock about the power unit back up that theory.

Mercedes hope their superior engine will persuade Max Verstappen to leave Red Bull as he continues his quest to dominate Formula 1.

Alex Albon cited Mercedes’ engines as a reason for staying at Williams when he had offers from other teams last season.

These are all positive signs for Mercedes, but McLaren will hope their advantage this year continues into 2026.