F1 | Mercedes’ development pays off: how work on the wing and brakes shaped the Singapore triumph
One of the biggest talking points from the Singapore Grand Prix weekend was Mercedes’ almost surprising victory. Behind the success at Marina Bay, there were highly interesting technical elements: recent modifications allowed the W16 to fully exploit its strengths. Let’s explore how this came together.
What was expected to be the weekend for McLaren to return to winning ways and Red Bull to make a statement in the championship instead saw Mercedes emerge as the true surprise. At Singapore, the Brackley team enjoyed a weekend to remember, highlighted by George Russell’s flawless performance, dominating both qualifying and the race itself.
Of course, the Marina Bay victory did not change the bigger picture of a season in which, for the second consecutive year, Mercedes was outperformed by a customer team using the same engine, a testament to McLaren’s excellent work. But this does not mean that the Silver Arrows have stopped chasing major goals, namely securing second place in the Constructors’ Championship in a tight battle with Ferrari and Red Bull.
This context makes the Singapore win even sweeter. In Mercedes’ triumphant weekend, several fascinating aspects stand out: targeted work to correct specific W16 characteristics, interventions on driving and cooling, and how the Asian circuit highlighted some of the car’s best qualities.
It’s not just about temperature
As analyzed in previous months, there is a connection between the W16’s competitiveness and track temperatures, but only as part of a broader picture that includes other factors. For example, the first win of the season in Canada came when track temperatures reached 50°C, while on cooler tracks, Mercedes often found itself fighting for third or fourth place behind Ferrari.
In short, high temperatures do not favor the W16, but the relationship is not straightforward, as other factors also play a role. Thermal management, especially of the tyres, was a key limitation that Mercedes worked intensively on in recent months to make progress.
“We’ve worked a lot on managing the rear tyres, particularly on tracks where it’s more challenging. Regarding Singapore, it’s true that it’s often hot and there are many traction zones, and in 2024 we struggled during the race. But it’s positive to see the benefits of the development work we’ve done on this car,” explained engineering director Andrew Shovlin.
The W16 shines on traction-heavy tracks
How does this relate to Singapore? Traction is one of the W16’s strengths, especially in tight corners, where the Brackley car can fully demonstrate its competitiveness: the less stress on the tyres, the lower the heat generated. Signs of this were already evident in Bahrain and Azerbaijan, with two podiums despite Sakhir being a challenging track for tyre degradation.
For Singapore, however, questions remained about the car’s behaviour in corner rotation. While Baku features straight braking zones and tight 90° turns, Marina Bay presents a slightly different scenario, which led Mercedes to worry that McLaren, with its typically strong front end, could dominate the Asian weekend.
Surprisingly, this scenario did not materialize. In qualifying, the Woking team struggled to get the soft tyre working, which tended to move mid-corner. This had two effects: it reduced driver confidence with the front end and limited the ability to exit the corner cleanly, delaying traction recovery – one of the MCL39’s main strengths.
The value of Mercedes’ development
Ironically, what should have been MCL39’s strength became an advantage for Mercedes, which introduced a front wing upgrade at Marina Bay to improve balance. Although the wing’s flexibility drew attention, the main goal was to increase front downforce to make the car more precise in rotation and reduce understeer. This reduced the need for drivers to manipulate the throttle and rear end to rotate the car, providing a dual benefit: better traction and improved temperature management.
“We worked on the car’s behaviour, on how drivers use the throttle when exiting corners, and on how to rotate the car. Now the car rotates better, and that helps. We also worked on improving cooling, including isolating the tyres from the brake ducts,” Shovlin explained, detailing the meticulous work on the ducts to manage heat.
Another interesting aspect regarding temperatures involves Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The young Italian had a weekend of mixed fortunes, but his contribution was crucial. On Friday, Mercedes planned to compare two PU cooling configurations, with Antonelli tasked with testing the more closed version.
Russell’s FP2 error, with a more open exhaust, limited data comparison, but the information collected by Antonelli, one of the few drivers to complete a proper long-run simulation, proved decisive. His feedback clarified tyre and power unit behaviour, guiding Mercedes toward a more closed and aerodynamically efficient rear configuration. As Shovlin noted, the long run also helped define the ideal ride heights.
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