Mercedes will run different W17 specifications for George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend as the team attempts to understand why its latest upgrade package struggled in Malaysia. George Russell will return to the pre-Sepang version of the car, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli will receive the front wing that was missing from the package used at the previous round.
The comparison could provide important answers after Mercedes endured what George Russell described as its worst weekend of the season in performance terms. The British driver also faces the added complication of starting Sunday’s race from the back of the grid.
George Russell returns to Baku-spec Mercedes W17
Mercedes has decided to use Singapore as an important evaluation weekend for the W17. George Russell will compete with the specification used before the Sepang upgrades, allowing the team to compare it against the more complete package available to Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
“I think Singapore is the second-worst place to have to drop back on the starting grid after Monaco, but there was nothing else we could do,” George Russell explained.
Despite the difficulty of starting from the rear at Marina Bay, the Mercedes driver is comfortable returning to a car specification that has already proved competitive.
“I’m happy to contest the weekend with the car I won with in Baku and with which Antonelli won in Madrid. It’s definitely a fast car.”
The decision gives Mercedes a direct opportunity to compare two development directions during one of the most demanding weekends on the Singapore Grand Prix Sprint schedule.
Antonelli gets front wing missing from Sepang upgrade package
Mercedes introduced its latest development package in Malaysia, but the weekend failed to deliver the performance expected from the new components.
“In Malaysia we had our worst weekend in terms of performance,” George Russell admitted.
One important element, however, was missing from the package. Andrea Kimi Antonelli will now receive that component in Singapore, potentially allowing Mercedes to understand whether the incomplete aerodynamic configuration contributed to its difficulties at Sepang.
“The package was missing the front wing that Antonelli will have here, so perhaps one of the reasons why the updates didn’t work could be related to the wing.”
The Singapore weekend will therefore become a significant technical test for Mercedes. George Russell’s older specification provides a known benchmark, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s car should offer a clearer indication of the potential of the complete upgrade package.
George Russell refuses to blame reliability for championship deficit
George Russell was equally direct when assessing his position in the championship. Rather than focusing on fortune or the reliability problems that have affected his season, he accepted responsibility for not performing at the required level.
“Without considering good luck or bad luck, I simply haven’t been up to the task this year,” George Russell said.
“I can only concentrate on the things I can control and not on reliability problems.”
The admission comes with George Russell trailing his Mercedes team-mate in the Formula 1 driver standings, making every remaining weekend increasingly important.
Singapore will consequently serve two purposes for Mercedes: a chance to understand whether the complete upgrade package can recover from its disappointing Malaysian debut, and an opportunity for George Russell to extract the maximum from a W17 specification he already knows can win races.
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