The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team faces a surprising situation during the 2026 Formula 1 season. In the qualifying session of the Sprint held on Friday at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, the team deliberately decided to split their aerodynamic packages to obtain comparative data on a new update that has failed.
The results obtained were completely opposite. George Russell, who drove the older model, managed to qualify in the front row of the grid, just 0.120 seconds behind poleman Max Verstappen. In contrast, reigning champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli faced issues with his updated car and finished in a distant seventh position.
Expectations for the race
Although Russell will face a mandatory penalty that will force him to start from the back for the main race on Sunday, he is optimistic about his chances for Saturday’s Sprint. In the initial practice, he set the fastest time and felt comfortable with the previously approved aerodynamic design.
“It has been a relatively good day for me here in Singapore,” Russell commented. He noted that the start of the race will be crucial for maintaining second place and trying to fight for victory later on.
Antonelli seeks solutions
On the other hand, Antonelli finds himself in a complicated situation after a tough day. Despite holding an 84-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship, the changes made to his machine have not helped him find his rhythm. “It was difficult to find the right rhythm and that prevented me from maximizing performance at key moments,” he confessed.
With the strict regulations of the parc fermé not allowing drastic changes, Antonelli’s team is relying on digital telemetry to better understand how to adjust their vehicle before the Sprint.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_3e83ed02e7962f95aa2ae1243c18d6101b7ce49d