Mercedes has one practice session to investigate Malaysia update setback

Singapore’s final Sprint weekend leaves Mercedes only one practice session to test solutions for a development package that did not deliver the expected step in Malaysia.

Toto Wolff had expected the latest package to gain about 0.3 seconds per lap. After qualifying in Malaysia, he felt it had instead set the team back by a similar amount. The race offered a more encouraging counterpoint: Mercedes put pressure on Max Verstappen at points and looked set for a double podium before George Russell retired late with a suspected power-unit issue.

On 5 October, Wolff said Mercedes had identified several areas for further investigation and needed more evidence before drawing firm conclusions. Mercedes plans to evaluate its latest package and previous specification over the Singapore weekend to decide which direction to take. Wolff said Singapore’s very different circuit characteristics should help the team build a clearer picture of where it stands.