Mercedes used pit crew substitutes in Singapore and still set the fastest stop

Mercedes used substitutes in its Singapore Grand Prix pit crew because of injuries and other circumstances, deputy team principal Bradley Lord said. Some had not performed a live Formula 1 pitstop in 15 years. Despite the personnel changes, Mercedes set the quickest pitlane time and the fastest stop for a second consecutive weekend, Lord said.

Singapore completed the demanding Azerbaijan-Malaysia-Singapore sequence, the first of what were then provisionally three triple-headers in the closing stages of the 23-round 2026 season. Lord described the run as probably the most demanding three-race stretch for the garage, citing temperature, humidity and other conditions.

Mercedes had the quickest tyre-change time at eight of the season’s first 17 Grands Prix, measured by time spent in the pitlane; Ferrari and Audi each had three. Lord also said Mercedes had lost ground to Red Bull and Ferrari in the constructors’ championship over the previous two events, though he described the team’s advantage as healthy. Its priority, he said, was to get both cars to the finish as high up as possible.