That upgrade package introduced in Malaysia was supposed to hand the squad three tenths on the simulations, but those gains simply vanished into thin air. Now, facing an urgent need for answers, the Brackley squad is turning to a direct back-to-back test during the single practice session at Marina Bay.
As Motorsport.com Italia reports, Kimi Antonelli will hit the track with the newest updates on the Mercedes W17, while George Russell rolls back to the older aerodynamic configuration. It is a bold, uncompromising way to gather immediate data and figure out if the development path has gone sideways.
George on Sunday will have to start from the back of the grid,
"The weekend in Malaysia was obviously very difficult for us," Toto Wolff explained. "Since then we have worked intensively to identify the reasons why our performance fell short of expectations. We have identified several areas that require deeper investigation. However, in F1 there are no simple answers and we need further elements before we can draw definitive conclusions."
Russell faces an even steeper mountain to climb this weekend. Beyond the aero comparison, he is forced to take his fifth engine featuring the ADUO, following a failure in Malaysia that cost him third place and potentially derailed his world championship aspirations. That means a guaranteed start from the back of the grid on Sunday.
"George on Sunday will have to start from the back of the grid," Wolff noted. "It is a particularly frustrating situation, given his performance last weekend and the result he would have deservedly fought for. Unfortunately, episodes like this are part of the sport. Now our goal is to provide him with the best possible car and give him the opportunity to fight his way back towards the top positions."
Despite leading both world championship standings, Wolff is treating the slump in Malaysia as a severe warning bell. There is no complacency at Brackley, only a ruthless desire to get to the root of the problem and ensure the machine is heading in the right direction.
