Mercedes will run different specifications on their two cars at the Singapore Grand Prix, with George Russell returning to the previous package while Kimi Antonelli continues with the Malaysia upgrades. The team remains uncertain whether the W17's latest developments improved performance at Sepang's unusually abrasive surface.
Russell requested the switch back to the older specification, calling it a no-brainer given his grid penalty and prior knowledge of that package's effectiveness on Singapore-style circuits. The decision was already being considered before his power unit failure in Malaysia sealed the choice.
Antonelli will persist with the upgraded specification for the full race weekend, as the sprint format leaves no time to switch between sessions. This approach offers Mercedes a comprehensive comparison between the two packages to assess the effectiveness of their latest development work.
The championship leader acknowledged the upgrade works well but noted they didn't see its full potential in Malaysia's outlier conditions. He expressed confidence that Singapore will provide better understanding of the package's capabilities and allow the team to extract its maximum performance.