Monaco GP: Mercedes abandons anti-squat suspension for W16 in setup rethink. Mercedes abandons its new anti-squat rear suspension after a failed test at Imola.

At Imola, the W16 featured an (undeclared) change to the upper triangle of the rear suspension: the front arm had been mounted lower, but the experiment didn’t deliver the expected results, and in Monaco, the team reverted to the usual solution. The Silver Arrows will again change their setup for qualifying.

Mercedes remains something of a mystery: at the end of Friday’s free practice, Kimi Antonelli was just inside the top 10 in ninth place, six-tenths behind Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, while the more experienced George Russell was only twelfth. Not exactly a performance in line with the Brackley team’s expectations, as they looked underwhelming in qualifying pace, though they did show interesting race pace. It’s a reversal of recent trends on a track where grid position is crucial for the final result.

So we can expect a shift in approach ahead of qualifying, because what we’ve seen so far in Monaco doesn’t reflect the potential of the Mercedes. It’s also curious that Mercedes was the only team not to declare changes in the FIA document for the Principality’s twisty layout, while all others listed adaptations necessary to provide good drivability on a street circuit: changes to the front suspension and power steering to allow greater steering angle, particularly at the former Loews hairpin.

Of course, Brackley’s engineers did make the necessary adjustments, but they didn’t stop there: in addition to a high-downforce rear wing, we also saw a return to the previous rear suspension configuration used before Imola. Last week, a new upper triangle appeared, with the front arm anchor set much lower, just above the lower elements.

The intention was to increase the anti-squat effect—meaning to prevent the rear from squatting under acceleration—in hopes of achieving more stable handling. Clearly, the experiment didn’t yield the desired outcome, and in Monaco, they reverted to the previous solution.

Antonelli and Russell are struggling to get tire temperatures up on the first push lap, which is crucial for securing a good starting position. Expect further setup changes before FP3, especially as Mercedes still aims to start winning races as soon as possible. But after the Emilia Romagna GP, there’s a clear sense they may have taken a wrong step in development. So it’s only natural to go back and start again…