MERCEDES CONFIRMS KIMI ANTONELLI’S UPGRADES ARE “CLEARLY FASTER” AFTER SINGAPORE SPLIT STRATEGY

Mercedes finally has its answer. After running split specs all weekend in Singapore—Kimi Antonelli on the new aero package, George Russell on the old—Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin confirmed the rookie's upgrades are "clearly the faster of the two." That settles weeks of internal debate over whether the modified W17 floor and wing elements actually delivered performance or just moved the setup window.

Antonelli maximized the data-gathering exercise with a podium, managing tyre deg through the Marina Bay heat while Russell clawed from 19th on the grid—courtesy of a 60-place penalty—back into the points on the older spec. The gap between the two configurations was wide enough that Mercedes now has a definitive development path heading into the American triple-header.

Timing matters. Antonelli sits within mathematical reach of clinching the drivers' title at COTA in two weeks, and unlocking the upgrade package's full potential just gave Brackley the blueprint to finish the job.