Antonelli pledged to stick with Mercedes’ new package in Singapore

Speaking before the Singapore Grand Prix on 8 October, Kimi Antonelli said he would run Mercedes’ latest upgrade package throughout the weekend while trying to understand why it had yet to deliver the expected performance gain. He was also due to use a new front wing designed to complement the package.

Mercedes planned to run different specifications on its two cars. George Russell would return to the previous package, which Antonelli said was known to work well on circuits like Singapore. Antonelli wanted to understand the new version better and extract more of its potential.

Antonelli said Sepang’s surface and high temperatures had made the previous race something of an outlier. He hoped Singapore would allow Mercedes to put the car in a better place and get more from the upgrades.

Mercedes had waited until the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia to introduce major changes to its car, including revised bodywork and floor adjustments, hoping to recover a performance advantage it had enjoyed earlier in 2026. The changes had not restored that advantage as hoped. Max Verstappen converted pole into his first victory of 2026 at that race; Antonelli still finished on the podium, while Russell retired with a mechanical issue.

Antonelli said returning to the old specification on his car was not an option because it would mean a major job for the team. He was more confident Mercedes could understand the newer package better, and said his target was victory, though he would accept a podium.