Mercedes will return to its updated W17 specification at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, with both cars set to use the latest aerodynamic package and the new front wing after the team gathered further comparative data in Singapore.
Deputy technical director Simone Resta has confirmed that Mercedes remains convinced the revised W17 has more ultimate potential than the previous configuration. On-board sensors have recorded a genuine increase in aerodynamic load, but that gain has not appeared consistently across all operating conditions, leaving the car with a very narrow performance window.
Mercedes believes updated W17 still has more potential
Mercedes therefore has no intention of abandoning its recent development direction. During the latest episode of The Nu Silver Arrows Show, Resta and deputy team principal Bradley Lord explained that the updated package will return in Texas, together with the new front wing.
Resta summarised the technical challenge created by the latest developments and explained why Mercedes still believes the package can work.
“We measure more downforce, but also a different balance from what we expected. We have gained too much front downforce, which is a good thing, we just need to re-centre the operating window,” Simone Resta said.
“We simply need to adjust the car mechanically, trying to correct some of the characteristics we found with this configuration and adapt the package for Austin, which is quite different.”
The problem, therefore, is not a lack of aerodynamic gain. Mercedes has generated more load, but the way that downforce is distributed has altered the balance of the W17 and made the car more sensitive to different conditions and set-up choices.
Singapore comparison gave Mercedes valuable W17 data
At the Singapore Grand Prix, Mercedes carried out a direct comparison between two specifications. George Russell ran the older configuration, while Kimi Antonelli used the newer package, allowing the team to collect valuable information across the weekend.
The comparison followed the Mercedes W17 specification split in Singapore, where the team used the limited Sprint weekend running to assess the strengths and weaknesses of its latest development direction.
“I think we gained downforce, but perhaps not at the same level in every single operating condition of the car on track,” Simone Resta explained.
“That is altering the balance of the car a little in those conditions, and therefore the driver has to adapt, as does the set-up. The way we operate the car to extract the maximum is changing, and so is the way it has to be driven.”
The data therefore suggests that Mercedes has succeeded in adding performance to the W17 in aerodynamic terms, but extracting that gain consistently remains the main challenge ahead of Austin.
Mercedes brings new front wing back for Austin
The aerodynamic updates introduced in Malaysia were followed by a new front wing that made its debut in Singapore. However, Mercedes set the component aside after only one free practice session.
That decision did not mean the wing had been rejected. Resta clarified that Mercedes had never planned to race it that weekend.
“We were not planning to use it in the race, but we wanted to check it, compare it with the old one, collect data, do our homework and prepare ourselves as well as possible for the next event,” Simone Resta said.
Mercedes had also introduced the revised wing as part of a broader attempt to improve the W17’s operating range, with the Singapore front-wing changes forming another important element of the team’s development programme.
Bradley Lord explains why Mercedes did not race the wing
Bradley Lord revealed that Mercedes had only one example of the new front wing available in Singapore because the team had rushed its production.
“We only had one, which we had hurried to produce,” Bradley Lord explained. “Obviously, when you only have one example, if you break it you run the risk of having to start from the pit lane.”
“Using it in qualifying, the Sprint or the race was not worth the risk, but undoubtedly what we learned was really useful.”
The decision was therefore logistical as well as technical. Mercedes wanted to evaluate the component without exposing itself to the possibility of being unable to replace it if it was damaged during a competitive session.
Both Mercedes cars set for updated Austin specification
Lord also confirmed that the information collected with the front wing has given Mercedes enough confidence to return to the updated specification in Austin.
“Running with the new front wing during practice was worth it, because we learned things that we hope will allow us to arrive in Austin in better shape, with both cars in the updated configuration, using that package and the new front wing,” Bradley Lord said.
“The hope is that we can exploit the higher peak performance better than we have managed to do so far.”
Austin will therefore become another important test of Mercedes’ development direction. The team believes the updated W17 produces more downforce and has a higher performance ceiling, but the priority is now to make that potential easier to access across a broader range of conditions.
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