After years of stability, F1 reliability can no longer be taken for granted

Ever wonder why Formula 1 reliability feels more fragile than it used to? Well, according to Jonathan M. Gitlin writing in TechCrunch, after years of steady performance, teams are now pushing their cars harder — making breakdowns more common. The Canadian Grand Prix last weekend highlighted this shift; with limited practice time on a sprint weekend, teams are struggling to keep everything together. But here’s where it gets interesting — facing these reliability issues, drivers and engineers are racing not just against each other but against the clock, trying to finish before something breaks. And Gitlin points out that this new high-stakes environment could change how teams optimize their strategies, balancing speed with durability. So, what does this mean for the future of racing? It’s simple — if reliability can no longer be taken for granted, teams will need to innovate faster or risk falling behind. The real question isn’t whether reliability will continue to falter, but who will adapt before it becomes the standard.