The batch issue explanation that mark Hughes suggested sounds more plausible than some of the other things that have been speculated about imo.zibby43 wrote: ↑17 Nov 2021, 04:35Apparently it was a batch issue for materials and it was rectified with PU4 (the Turkey unit) for Hamilton (per Mark Hughes).ringo wrote: ↑17 Nov 2021, 03:35That Honda engine is annoyingly reliable.
If it goes to the end that's 8 races straight. Very impressive. It's been in from Russia.
That block must be made out of titanium. I kinda waiting to see if even the slightest of issue happens to any of their units.
Mercedes have a lot of work to do to create a similarly bullet proof engine next year. And they dont have an aircraft division to take materials and turbine knowledge from.
This year's unit has worn out like paper straw in a hot beverage.
PU5 was a strategic choice to run with more juice to the end with PU4 serving as the practice unit (per Shovlin).
So, to your point, I think they’ve worked hard this year to resolve the issue as best as possible.
Yes there have been some issues this year but it's worth remembering that neither of the Mercedes team cars have had a DNF from mechanical failure, they've had to take penalties for using more engines than permitted which isn't ideal in a tight championship battle but it's probably better to be cautious rather than risking a failure leading to a DNF.