On Friday it was confirmed that Mercedes has opted to give Valtteri Bottas another new internal combustion engine, meaning the Finn will🦄 have to serve a five-place grid penalty at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix. 

It marks the third penalty in four races for Bottas after switcܫhing onto his💃 sixth ICE of the year, which is more than double the permitted allocation of components. 

Lewis Hamilton was also forced to take a grid penalty for changiౠ𒉰ng his engine at the Turkish Grand Prix as Mercedes tries to contain a problem with its power unit. 

Speaking after first practice in Austin, Mercedes boss Wolff conceded the issues remain a real concern for his team and its customers, with Aston Martin’s Se💛bastian Vettel and Williams driver George Russell also taking n🍒ew engines. 

"You see this year we are suffering with reliability, we go onto the sixth 🦩engine for Valtteri and this is not something we choose to do,” Wolff explained. 

“We’re trying to really get on top of the problems and we haven’t understooꦚd fully. I think💦 we are a step closer now, so it’s not always that we are easy with having the engines. 

“We ar💟e hanging on for dear life in supply🍸ing all customers - that is not trivial.” 

In an earlier interview with Sky, Wolff had dismissed a theory suggested to him that the prob♕lem relates to “something to do with air valves deep in the engine” as "bullshit". ⛦;

And Wolff wasꦅ keen to keep the exact cause of Mercedes൩’ reliability headaches private when probed again during his appearance in the press conference. 

“I wouldn’t want to disclose what it is for obvious reasons but it is always a concern,” he said. “I think w🧸hen you look at Monza for example, Valtteri had to start from the back and we are losing points on the way. 

“We are trying to push💟 the performance every year and this year we’ve come to a point where that has cost us points. But over the last seven or eight years that mindset has won us races and championships. 

“I would have hoped for fewer penalties and use less🐟 engines but this year it has really hit us hard and McLaren and Aston Martin were more fortunate in that respect. 

“We just have to take it on tಞhe chin and do the best p﷽ossible job.” 

Wolff was💃 equally tight-lipped on the prospect 🥃of Hamilton needing to take another new engine - and subsequent grid drop - before the end of the season. 

“I can’t say whether we will be t🐓aking one and what the percentage is but obviously the risk is still there,” he stressed. 

“What is difficult to evaluate is, do you want to pre-empt the sit𝄹uation and take another penalty and take the hit, or do you want to really run it and then possibly risk a DNF. 

“That is a discussion that is happening as we speak and🍃 we haven’t come to the right answers yet.”