By: The Stuttgart-based manufacturer made an important decision after what happened in Malaysia: to study how the cars behave with and without the substantial upgrade package introduced between the Bahrain GP and Singapore.
Mercedes believed it would make a significant step forward with the upgrades introduced at the Kuala Lumpur circuit (the car featured major developments to the Floor Board, Floor Leading Edge, Floor Corner, Floor Body, Rear Suspension, Rear Corner and Rear Bodywork). Unfortunately, however, the drivers’ feedback and feelings were not in line with expectations. Nor was the performance.
Antonelli was never able to challenge Verstappen during the race, and second place was the best he could have hoped for with the almost completely revamped W17.
The choice for the Singapore Sprint Race
So, in Singapore, the championship-leading team, also bolstered by its advantage in the standings, decided to take a different route. Russell’s car has been returned to the configuration it ran in Azerbaijan, without any upgrades. It was the car with which George, incidentally, managed to win the event. Antonelli, meanwhile, has been given a single-seater equipped, at least for the Sprint, with all the upgrades already used in Malaysia.
Mercedes also brought a new front wing to Singapore (read here). However, at least for the Sprint Race, this technical solution will not be used by either Russell or Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Russell is grateful: the Sprint will probably be his only chance
Mercedes are waiting to establish the exact pace of the two cars in order to assess the real differences. For now, after repeatedly expressing his opposition to decisions made by the team, Russell is grateful this time.
The performance gap, at least in Sprint Qualifying, was enormous. George set the second-fastest time with a 1’31’’276, while Antonelli recorded a 1’31’’849. Almost six tenths separated them. It is clear that something is not working with the new upgrades. The development step was probably so extensive that the team is struggling to find the right set-up to extract the maximum from the whole package.
In the Sprint, judging by what was seen on Friday, Russell should be able to demonstrate more promising pace than Antonelli. Afterwards, changes can be made and Mercedes, like every other team, will be able to improve the set-up based on feedback from the track and try to take another step forward ahead of Sunday’s GP.
For George , moreover, the Sprint represents his only chance to fight for important points. On Sunday, he will be forced to start from last place after replacing power-unit components. He too has exceeded the limit for components permitted by the regulations.
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Singapore GP 2026
