Here's the thing about chasing performance in modern motorsport: sometimes the shiny new parts just refuse to cooperate. Mercedes are hunting a return to the top step of the podium at the Singapore Grand Prix, but they have some serious homework to do first. Kimi Antonelli firmly believes that Mercedes will find an answer to why their recent upgrade package hasn't delivered the expected performance boost.
While rival outfits like Ferrari and Red Bull rolled out regular developments across the season, Mercedes played a waiting game. They held off until the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia before introducing major alterations to their challenger, including a revised floor and altered bodywork. The team hoped these changes would reinstate the performance advantage they enjoyed earlier in the year. Unfortunately, reality had other plans.
Max Verstappen converted pole position into a victory, marking his first win of 2026, while George Russell suffered a retirement due to a mechanical issue. Although Antonelli secured a podium finish behind Verstappen, the race laid bare the work Mercedes still face to optimise their current package. To tackle this, the team is splitting strategies for Singapore. George Russell is reverting to the old package, which is known to work exceptionally well on circuits like this, while also taking a significant grid penalty for exceeding his power unit allocation.
Antonelli, meanwhile, is staying fully committed to the new development path. He will run a new front wing designed to complement the upgrade package. As Antonelli explained, “That's the question we will try to answer. George is going back on the old package, which we know works really well, especially on these kinds of tracks. On my side, we'll try to find an answer for this package.” Reverting entirely is off the table because it requires a massive job from the crew.
Looking back at the previous round, Antonelli noted that Sepang presented unique challenges. “I think Sepang overall was a little bit of an outlier because of the tarmac, the high temperatures, but hopefully this weekend we will be able to put the car in a better place and just extract more out of the package.” Even with an 84-point advantage over his teammate in the drivers' standings, Antonelli is keeping his eyes firmly on the engineering task ahead rather than the intra-team battle.
“We're going to try and win. That's the mindset and of course, George is starting at the back but it doesn't mean anything. On my side I just try to focus on what I can control and try to deliver the best performance as I can and if I can win the race, great,” Antonelli said. Whether the new front wing can finally unlock the beast Mercedes hoped they built remains to be seen, but the Italian driver is ready to find out.
