Mercedes to introduce engine upgrade in Austria

Mercedes will bring an upgraded engine to the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix this weekend.

The reigning world champions have opted to introduce the upgrade in order to improve reliability amid concerns that arose during pre-season testing earlier this year.

The upgrade will also be made available to Mercedes' customers, Racing Point and Williams. 

Despite showing strong pace in Barcelona in February before the start of the 2020 season was cancelled, the Silver Arrows suffered from reliability issues during the second week of testing.

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Williams also had a number of setbacks relating to its engine during testing, raising question marks over the durability of Mercedes' 2020 power unit.

Since testing, Mercedes has been working to ensure that its power unit is ready to go for the start of the season and has now developed an upgrade despite the complications that arose amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The upgrade will be used on the cars this weekend, underneath the new black livery that the German manufacturer has introduced as part of its push for diversity.

Honda will also introduce a new power unit upgrade for Red Bull and AlphaTauri as the former aims to challenge Mercedes for the world championship this year.