Mercedes to compare W17 upgrades in Singapore

Mercedes will run two versions of its W17 at the Singapore Grand Prix, with Kimi Antonelli keeping the latest upgrade and George Russell reverting to the previous specification. The team plans to compare the cars to assess whether the new package improves performance, an outcome it said remained uncertain after the previous race weekend at Sepang. Antonelli said he had committed to the upgraded configuration for the Singapore weekend. He said the team was still trying to determine whether the changes had made the car faster and hoped the comparison would provide a clearer assessment. Russell’s return to the older setup gives Mercedes a reference point against the revised car, while both drivers run different specifications. The upgrade was introduced at Sepang and included changes to the floor and bodywork. One report described it as a seven-part aerodynamic package and said Mercedes estimated it could be worth about three tenths of a second per lap. The package’s actual performance has not been established in the reports. Antonelli attributed the difficulty of assessing the changes at Sepang to the track’s rough surface and high temperatures.