Mercedes confirms new-spec package is 'clearly faster' after Singapore split-garage test

Mercedes left the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix with more than a podium finish — they left with a clear answer on which aerodynamic direction to pursue for the remainder of the season. After running a split-specification garage across the entire Marina Bay weekend, Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin confirmed that Kimi Antonelli’s updated package was “clearly the faster of the two.”

The team deliberately used the street circuit as a live development test, placing Antonelli on the latest floor and wing elements while George Russell ran an older aerodynamic specification. The approach was a calculated risk on a Sprint weekend, where limited track time makes fine-tuning a new setup window particularly difficult.

“One of the main objectives this weekend was to continue our evaluation of the update package and build our understanding of how to get the most from it,” Shovlin said after Sunday’s race. “We learned a lot over the three days and, importantly, saw encouraging signs in both qualifying and race conditions once we were able to move closer to the right operating window.”

Antonelli made the most of the new hardware, managing his tyre degradation across the demanding Marina Bay layout to secure a podium finish. Shovlin was direct in his praise: “Kimi drove a very mature race, managed his tyres well, and then had the pace to make the moves that secured the podium.”

Russell’s weekend was far more constrained. A 60-place grid penalty forced the Briton to start 19th, yet he still recovered into the points on the older-spec car. “George’s race was always going to be challenging starting from the back, but he fought hard throughout, made some brilliant overtakes and got himself back into the points,” Shovlin noted.

The split strategy resolves weeks of uncertainty over how to balance the W17’s high-speed and low-speed characteristics. With Shovlin now publicly endorsing the updated package, Mercedes have a defined technical path heading into the final stretch of the 2026 campaign.