Mercedes is preparing to introduce a new front wing at the 2026 United States Grand Prix in Austin, following an encouraging evaluation during the Singapore Sprint weekend. The component forms part of the team’s efforts to optimise its W17 after the disappointing results of the upgrade package introduced at Sepang, with engineers using the limited running at Marina Bay to gather crucial data ahead of the next race.
The Singapore Grand Prix presented Mercedes with a particularly difficult challenge. With only one free practice session available before Sprint Qualifying, the team had little time to assess its aerodynamic developments and address the balance problems that had emerged in Malaysia. Nevertheless, Mercedes considered the experiment necessary to avoid arriving at the Circuit of The Americas with a car that had yet to be properly optimised.
Mercedes tests new front wing with Kimi Antonelli in Singapore
During the only practice session of the Singapore Sprint weekend, Kimi Antonelli drove the updated specification of the Mercedes W17, which also featured the new front wing. The objective was not to race the component immediately, but to understand how it interacted with the rest of the aerodynamic package and collect information for the following Grand Prix.
For the race itself, the Italian driver returned to the previous front wing specification. Mercedes wanted to avoid unnecessary risks on an already demanding street circuit, particularly while the team was still working to understand the behaviour of its updated car.
The decision meant that the new front wing’s competitive debut would be postponed until Austin, where Mercedes expects to benefit from the lessons learned during its Singapore evaluation.
Simone Resta explains Mercedes’ Austin front wing strategy
Mercedes technical director Simone Resta explained the reasoning behind the decision during the team’s podcast, emphasising that the Singapore experiment was designed to accelerate the development process rather than introduce the component immediately.
“We wanted to accelerate the learning process by testing a new wing as early as FP1 in Singapore. We never considered fitting it for the race; we simply wanted more data to prepare for the next event. The session was positive, and we learned valuable lessons that I hope will help us get off to a good start at COTA,” Simone Resta explained.
The approach highlights the importance of gathering reliable information as Mercedes continues refining its aerodynamic package. The team had already encountered difficulties with its Sepang upgrades, making it particularly important to establish how the new front wing affects the car’s overall balance.
Anthony Davidson identifies the fastest Mercedes configuration
Mercedes development driver Anthony Davidson also provided insight into the work carried out during the Singapore weekend, describing the different configurations tested in an effort to resolve the W17’s balance issues.
“During the Singapore weekend, we worked hard to correct the car’s balance problems, first by removing some flaps from the front wing and then by fitting the new version to the old package. I tested all the configurations, and I can say that the upgrades with the new front wing are the fastest, provided they are balanced correctly,” Anthony Davidson explained.
His assessment suggests that the new component offers encouraging performance potential, although extracting that advantage depends on finding the correct aerodynamic balance. The comparison between different front wing configurations also helped Mercedes understand how the revised design behaves alongside its existing package.
With the United States Grand Prix approaching, Mercedes now has an opportunity to apply those findings at the Circuit of The Americas. After the difficulties encountered at Sepang and the restricted testing opportunities in Singapore, the Austin weekend will provide the next important assessment of whether the new front wing can help the team extract more performance from its W17.
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