Mercedes cannot compete for a Formula One championship if their reliability issues persist, according to Toto Wolff, who has quipped: "To finish first, first you have to finish."

The Silver Arrows saw drivers' championship frontrunner Kimi Antonelli retire due to a suspected power unit problem at Sunday's Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

Antonelli had just overtaken team-mate George Russell – who suffered a battery failure and retired from the Canadian Grand Prix two races ago – to take second place.

Ultimately, Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton was the victor in Barcelona for a seventh time (including the Spanish Grand Prix prior to this year's relocation), with Russell finishing second and McLaren's Lando Norris third.

Antonelli still leads the drivers' standings, though Hamilton has cut his lead to 41 points, while Ferrari are now within 72 points of Mercedes in the constructors' championship. 

And in an interview with Sky Sports F1, team principal Wolff played down Mercedes' chances as he said: "We can't compete for a championship if every second race we have a car that loses points. 

"It's one then the other. To finish first, first you have to finish. That's just not good enough.

Not the perfect weekend, but some magic moments nonetheless in BCN  pic.twitter.com/cXXr2vIdNE

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 15, 2026

"We can't DNF cars in a continued way, losing 25 points in the constructors' championship in Montreal and losing another 18 points on Sunday.

"We need to get on top of it and that's number one. So, nobody's happy about that and we will leave no stone unturned to understand it."

The season resumes after a two-week break at the Austrian Grand Prix later this month, with Antonelli hoping to return to winning ways after triumphing at five straight races prior to last weekend.