Mercedes Left with Head Scratching after Russell & Antonelli’s Split Strategy in Singapore

Mercedes found themselves puzzled after the split strategy employed by George Russell and Kimi Antonelli during the Singapore Grand Prix. The team had decided to use two different packages in the F1 Singapore GP, with Russell driving the older design and Antonelli the newer one. Despite Russell finishing second, Antonelli struggled, ending up in seventh place, which left Mercedes with more questions than answers.

Russell, while acknowledging that the old package seemed effective, remained cautiously optimistic about the newer one. He stated, "We obviously topped the timesheets there. When Lewis, Max was fast, and he went on a slightly different strategy to us in Q3 just doing one lap." He expressed satisfaction with his P2 position, but also admitted that the results were not conclusive.

Antonelli, on the other hand, was more critical of the new package. He described the car as unpredictable and difficult to drive, especially during the braking and entry phases. The Italian noted that despite his high hopes, he had been struggling from the outset of the first practice session. He added, "It’s really the car is very difficult, very unpredictable and very difficult to put a lap together."

Mercedes' technical director, Andrew Shovlin, echoed the team's confusion, admitting that there was significant head scratching following a difficult Friday. He explained that the split strategy, while allowing Russell to start on the front row, did not yield the expected performance improvement with the new package. Shovlin added, "Neither car had a great balance, although Kimi was lacking more confidence on the braking and entry phase and that’s what you need to attack a qualifying lap here."

Despite the difficulties faced by both drivers, Antonelli still held a points lead over Russell and his rivals. However, the team remains uncertain about how to improve Antonelli's performance and bring the new package up to speed.