Back to News
Technical Combined from 2 sources

Singapore highlights weakness in Mercedes upgrade package

Reports from Singapore indicate Mercedes' recent upgrade package has shown a clear weakness. George Russell ran an older specification for the weekend, while Kimi Antonelli could not switch back and was notably slower in sprint qualifying.

F1 Hub Newsroom
October 9, 2026
Singapore highlights weakness in Mercedes upgrade package

Singapore has exposed a significant weakness in Mercedes' new upgrade package, according to multiple reports. After two consecutive weekends in which the team has looked vulnerable, Mercedes arrived in Singapore with George Russell's car returned to an older specification.

In sprint qualifying, Russell took second place, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli was seventh and around half a second slower than his team-mate. One report noted that Russell only just made it through an earlier phase of qualifying, underlining that Mercedes' form remains less convincing than it had been previously.

The contrast between the two cars also drew attention to Antonelli's situation, with Motorsport.com reporting that he could not revert to the previous Mercedes specification in Singapore. Together, the results and the differing car specs pointed to ongoing concerns about the current upgrade package.

Sources (2)

Summaries are synthesized by F1 Hub from the linked sources. Follow the links above to read the full reporting at each outlet.