Andrea Kimi Antonelli, current leader of the Formula 1 championship, has shared his impressions on the update of the Mercedes W17 during the Singapore Grand Prix. Despite some uncertainties about the actual performance of the new components, Antonelli believes that the improvements are starting to take effect.
For this event, Mercedes opted for an unusual strategy, dividing the updates between the two cars. Antonelli has been at the wheel of the new version, with a revised design for the floor and sides, while George Russell has used the old model after a penalty that relegated him to the back of the grid.
Since the beginning of the weekend, Russell showed a better return to the track, setting a much faster time than Antonelli. However, an accident during the sprint race affected his car’s performance, causing a feeling of lack of control afterward.
Antonelli was seen, despite finishing in a modest position in the first practices, making an impressive leap in qualifying, improving his time by two seconds and achieving a fourth position, just 0.189 seconds off poleman Max Verstappen.
After qualifying, Antonelli expressed that the update of the W17 was “very difficult and unpredictable”, but that during Saturday he had managed to find a better balance. He acknowledges that a significant step has been made in adjusting the car, although there is still room for optimization to find the ideal setup.
On his part, George Russell acknowledged that, although Antonelli showed a more competitive performance, the overall performance is not entirely satisfactory. Both drivers have highlighted the need for more time to adjust the car to the new specifications.
With the next Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, Antonelli is hopeful that this track will provide another opportunity to explore the potential of the update. “It would be ideal to have two cars with the same specifications to be able to test different configurations,” Antonelli said. Hopes are pinned on the evolution of the Mercedes to better adapt to the competition requirements.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
