Mercedes make bold upgrade call with drivers to split paths in Singapore

SINGAPORE – Mercedes will split its specification with its two cars for the Singapore Grand Prix, with George Russell reverting to the team’s previous package.

Kimi Antonelli will carry the updates implemented in Malaysia last time out, with the team uncertain whether the W17’s performance improved with a package at Sepang, while Russell confirmed it was a “no-brainer” to switch back.

Mercedes drivers to split as George Russell reverts to previous W17 spec

World Championship leader Antonelli admitted after the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia that further data gathering is required on the team’s upgrades, which placed a heavy focus on the floor and improving downforce.

As the asphalt in Malaysia was unusually abrasive, Antonelli conceded “we don’t really know if it made us go faster or worse”, but Russell requested to change back to the team’s previous spec.

Russell, who starts the weekend knowing a back-of-the-grid penalty is coming his way for a new power unit beyond his allocation, will remain committed to the previous specification for the full race weekend in Singapore. Antonelli will also stick to his chosen path, with the sprint format allowing no time to complete a switch between sessions.

This will offer Mercedes a comprehensive comparison between the two to assess the effectiveness of its latest round of upgrades.

Asked about the split in approach, Antonelli told PlanetF1.com and others at Marina Bay: “[Upgrade effectiveness] is the thing we’re going to try to understand.

“I stayed on the new package. George is going back on the old, which we know works well. I think [the updated spec] works well. I think there’s an actual improvement; it’s just that we didn’t quite see it in Sepang, and I think that’s why it was such an outlier.

“Hopefully this weekend we will be able to understand it more and put the car in a better place and be able to use its full potential.

“It’s going to be a good opportunity to see and to compare the two packages, and because we know the old one, we’ve known it for ages, we know how to set up the car around that package, we know it works really well and is really fast in these kinds of tracks.

“We really want to understand, on the other hand, this new package and trying to really strike the maximum out of it because the team has done a tremendous job. They’ve put in so much work on this new package, and it would be just a shame to write it off so early.”

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Russell confirmed that the idea to revert to the previous car spec came from him.

In his mind, with his grid penalty and prior knowledge of the specification, such a switch was a simple one.

“I instigated the conversation prior to the race on Sunday,” he confirmed.

“When the [power unit] failure happened, it was kind of a no-brainer because we were kind of 50/50 about it pre-race, and I was more in favour to do it, and that was even pre-race. Whereas now, it is a total no-brainer.”

Antonelli heads into the weekend with a hefty 84-point lead over Russell in the Drivers’ standings.

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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