Can Mercedes pull off a split‑spec gamble in Singapore? The team will field its W17 with two distinct packages, Antonelli sticking to the Sepang update and Russell reverting to his Baku‑era car.
For the Bahrain showdown, Mercedes unveiled a fresh floor and bodywork suite, adding revised floor panels behind the front wheels and a ramped upper side‑pod surface.
Both drivers felt extra downforce in the fast corners, yet the gritty Singapore surface left the new kit’s behaviour puzzling, forcing mid‑corner throttle to steady the rear.
To decode the Sepang upgrade, the squad will split the cars, a move Russell called a “no‑brainer” especially after his power‑unit penalty will likely drop him to the back of the grid.
“I raised the issue before Sunday’s race,” Russell said in Singapore. “When the failure occurred it was a clear‑cut decision – we were split 50‑50 pre‑race, and I leaned toward the change.”
“There were no warning signs the upgrade was flawed,” he added, noting the Baku car matched the setups used in Budapest and Zandvoort, where they were within a tenth of a second of pole.
“Those swings, even with an unchanged chassis and rivals on the same spec, are huge – plus or minus a second. It points to a Malaysia‑specific factor,” Russell explained.
In my view, Mercedes sit close to the front‑runners; Red Bull over‑delivered this season, while the pace gap to McLaren and Ferrari remains modest.
“The engine penalty this weekend gives us a chance to revert to the Baku‑winning car,” Russell noted, hoping the older spec will shine again.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes; George Russell – Mercedes
Antonelli insists he’ll stay on the Sepang package all weekend, refusing to revert even if sprint data suggests the older spec is competitive.
The championship leader trusts the new parts will boost performance, treating Sepang as an outlier event.
“The data painted a different picture in Sepang, but the track was unusually rough. Some corners even lacked tarmac,” he said.
“Temperatures topped 60 °C, turning the surface into a nightmare. This weekend’s cooler conditions should be far more representative,” he added.
“Cooler air and a better‑preserved track mean we’ll finally test low‑speed sections properly,” Russell observed.
“Running two cars with distinct packages will give us a straight‑line comparison – that’s fascinating,” he noted.
“There is genuine improvement with the new kit; Sepang just hid it,” he concluded.
“We hope this weekend clarifies the package’s potential and lets us extract full performance,” he said.
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– The Team