Antonelli says Mercedes set-up changes improved his car for Singapore qualifying

Kimi Antonelli said Mercedes’ set-up changes improved his car for Singapore qualifying, where he finished fourth, 0.189 seconds off pole. He thought there was still more lap time in it.

After studying Friday’s data, Mercedes made several set-up changes to Antonelli’s car, aiming to get more from the new update. Antonelli said the trials gave the team a useful direction heading into qualifying and that its understanding of the package had grown.

Antonelli said the update seemed to work in a narrower window than the previous specification, while Mercedes was still working to find the right balance. He added that the car reacted differently from the previous package.

He hopes Mercedes can build on what it has learned in Singapore and fight for a podium in Sunday’s race.