Antonelli says Mercedes will use Singapore front-wing update to “find an answer” on its 2026 upgrades

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Mercedes enters the Singapore Grand Prix looking to regain a performance edge it has struggled to consistently realise from a recent upgrade package, and Kimi Antonelli believes the next step is a closer match between the car’s new parts. Speaking ahead of the weekend, the Italian said Mercedes will try to “find an answer” as to why the upgrades have not delivered the intended boost so far, adding that he will run a new front wing designed to complement the package in Singapore.

Antonelli’s comments come after Mercedes introduced major changes later than some of its closest rivals. The team made a significant upgrade step at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, including altered bodywork and adjustments to the floor. Mercedes had hoped the update would restore an advantage it had shown earlier in the season, but the expected performance gains did not fully materialise.

In the most recent race mentioned in Mercedes’ build-up, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen converted pole position into victory for the first time in 2026, while George Russell retired due to a mechanical issue. Antonelli maintained that the podium result behind Verstappen still underscored the need for work to optimise the package over the remainder of the season.

Asked directly whether a new front wing can help the upgrades perform as expected, Antonelli said it is the central question Mercedes is trying to answer. He said Russell is returning to the previous specification that “we know works really well,” particularly on tracks of this nature, while Antonelli’s focus is to learn more about how the current package behaves and “finally strike the potential of the package.”

Antonelli also framed Sepang as a potential outlier for evaluating the package, pointing to the circuit’s tarmac characteristics and high temperatures. With Singapore ahead, he said the team is aiming to place the car “in a better place” so it can extract more from the upgrades on a different kind of track environment.

Russell’s weekend context is complicated by a significant grid penalty, imposed after he exceeded his power unit allocation. Antonelli said the penalty gives him an opportunity to extend his lead in the drivers’ standings further, but he insisted his preparation is not built around the ongoing Russell battle. He said he is committed to the new package across the whole weekend and that switching back is a “big job for the team,” leaving Mercedes to focus on extracting the maximum from what Antonelli will run.

Antonelli said his mindset at Singapore is to win, even with Russell starting at the back. He added that he will prioritise controlling what he can and delivering the best performance, indicating that achieving a podium would be a positive outcome while still aiming for the win.

Mercedes’ return-to-form approach in Singapore, according to Antonelli, blends immediate technical troubleshooting—through the matching front wing and package understanding—with a pragmatic running plan that compares new-spec performance against the earlier setup Russell will use.