Mercedes report progress with upgrade investigation after split-spec Singapore test

Mercedes used different car specifications for Kimi Antonelli and George Russell at the Singapore Grand Prix as it investigated problems with a major aerodynamic upgrade. According to BBC Sport's Andrew Benson, the team ended the weekend reporting progress in understanding a package that had not worked as intended when introduced at the previous race in Malaysia.

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Antonelli ran the newer specification in Singapore, while Russell used the older version. The comparison formed part of Mercedes' effort to establish why the changes had not delivered the expected performance. Antonelli said the team could see potential gains, but was still trying to understand how to extract them consistently from the updated car.

The championship leader described a narrow operating window and sensitivity to the driver's approach. He said the car responded differently depending on braking, cornering and driving technique. His assessment left a distinction between the improvement Mercedes believed the package could offer and the performance it was able to access. The team had made progress with its understanding, rather than declaring the problem solved.

Antonelli finished third behind race winner Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Russell took ninth after starting at the back of the grid. Those results extended Antonelli's championship advantage over his team-mate to 102 points, with Lewis Hamilton 111 points behind after finishing sixth. Antonelli nevertheless said he had not driven particularly well over the weekend and believed he could have performed better.

Russell identified improving the car as his priority for the remainder of the season. Speaking in the BBC report, he contrasted Mercedes' earlier dominance with Red Bull's recent speed across different types of circuit and stressed the need to win again. Verstappen's Singapore victory was his second successive grand prix win and his first at the venue, following Red Bull's difficult start to the campaign.

Antonelli said the three practice sessions available at the next round in Austin would give Mercedes scope to explore set-up options. He hoped that work would help the team use more of the upgrade's potential. Despite moving closer to his first world championship, he maintained that achieving the result still depended on performing well, while Mercedes continued its effort to turn the package's promise into usable performance.