Mercedes to run old + new car spec in Singapore amid upgrade doubts
Mercedes is to run a back-to-back comparison between its new and old Formula 1 aero packages in Singapore to better understand whether or not its latest upgrade has worked.
The manufacturer had arrived at last weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia hopeful that a new development step for its W17 would lift it clear at the front of F1.
However, the expected 0.3-second improvement did not materialise, and team principal Toto Wolff reckoned it had instead dropped its performance by up to half a second.
That left the door open for Red Bull's Max Verstappen to take his first pole position and victory of the season for Red Bull.
The surprise lack of pace from Mercedes prompted some deep post-race analysis to understand what went wrong, and whether what played out was entirely down to the aero package or was linked to the rough track surface.
That work has exposed that there are areas of its car that Mercedes needs to better understand, which is why it will bring back some older specification parts in Singapore this weekend for testing.
The team will run comparison tests between the new and old parts to help build a better understanding of what has happened.
Wolff said: "We have identified several areas we need to investigate further, but F1 doesn't offer simple answers and we need more evidence before drawing firm conclusions.
"Singapore gives us an immediate opportunity to continue that work. The characteristics of the circuit are very different and that will help us build a clearer picture of where we are.
"That is why we will evaluate both the latest update package and our previous specification across the weekend to ensure we fully understand the direction we need to take."
Mercedes is due to split its old and new packages across its two cars for the entire weekend.
As the Singapore GP is a sprint weekend, there is only a single practice session before sprint qualifying on Friday evening.
The plan to do some back-to-back testing of its aero packages comes amid confirmation that George Russell will take an engine grid penalty as well, following the failure he suffered in Malaysia.
That change of components will put him at the back of the grid at a venue that is notoriously difficult to overtake on.
Wolff added: "That is particularly frustrating given the way he drove last weekend and the result he deserved to be fighting for.
"Unfortunately, these things are part of the sport and our focus now is on giving him the best possible car and opportunities to fight back through the field."
