Mercedes split its garage in Singapore to finally compare the new aero kit against the old one, hoping side‑by‑side data would explain the Malaysian flop. Instead, the experiment only deepened the mystery.
After Friday’s sprint qualifying at Marina Bay, Russell clinched a front‑row slot in the legacy package, while teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, still on the fresh upgrades, wrestled with balance and dropped to seventh.
A baffling data point
For trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin, seeing the older chassis outpace the massive update raises a serious alarm for Mercedes’ 2026 title hopes.
“After a tough weekend in Malaysia we opted for split specifications in Singapore,” Shovlin told reporters. “The circuit and sprint format make fine‑tuning a challenge.”
George Russell, Mercedes
The older spec is simply quicker.
Shovlin admitted, “We’re glad George made the front row, but it leaves us scratching our heads over why the new package isn’t delivering the expected gain.” In my view, Mercedes’ upgrade programme looks dangerously off‑track.
Confidence under braking
Russell extracted maximum speed from the proven setup, whereas Antonelli battled the fresh aero through Singapore’s tight, unforgiving 90‑degree corners.
Neither car achieved ideal balance; Kimi lacked confidence into braking and corner entry, which is crucial for a qualifying lap here,” Shovlin observed.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
With parc fermé rules limiting major changes before Saturday’s sprint, engineers will rely on software tweaks and minor front‑wing flap tweaks to rescue the upgrade.
“We’ll keep digging into the data,” Shovlin said. “We have plenty of information and hope to get Kimi’s car into a better window for tomorrow’s main qualifying.”
Will the team finally nail the package for tomorrow’s qualifying?
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– The Team