Wolff admits upgraded Mercedes W17 is trickier to drive as team backs split-spec in Singapore
Mercedes split-spec experiment continues in Singapore
Toto Wolff has explained why Mercedes is running two different specifications of the W17 in Singapore, conceding the upgraded package is “a little more tricky to drive” and backing the compromise as the team tries to understand what is working and what is not.
Instead of incremental tweaks, the Silver Arrows waited until the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia to introduce their first major update in four months, a package that failed to deliver the predicted boost. For Singapore, Mercedes reverted George Russell to the specification last run in Azerbaijan, where he dominated qualifying and won the Grand Prix, while Kimi Antonelli remains on the upgraded W17 with a new front wing for data gathering.
Wolff on the split-spec compromise
After Antonelli finished behind Russell in both FP1 and Sprint Qualifying, Wolff said Marina Bay is an outlier but the data is essential.
“There is a pattern, but most importantly is to really dissect what's working and what's not on the old and the new spec and then finding a way forward, picking the best bits and seeing where the development direction needs to get us in order to extract the optimum lap time,” Wolff said.
“Now, having said that, obviously running two different cars is not always ideal, but it's a compromise we just need to take. So, we have two test pilots at the moment. We need to take it in order to ensure that we're doing the right thing for next year as well.”
On the feel of the new car, Wolff added:
“The new car seems to be a little more tricky to drive. Not saying it's necessarily slower, because there will be goodness in it, but maybe we haven't just found a way of putting it all together and tuning it.”
“The older car is a bit more stable, grippy, but that is really just one data point. It will be needing more time to really come to more conclusive information. We've put a few months of upgrades into the car, clearly pointing in a direction that we think is advantageous, and maybe we just need to calibrate it a little bit in order to find the right way forward for 2027.”
Cost-cap caution and strategy review
Mercedes dominated the early rounds of 2026, building a 151-point advantage over Ferrari in the Teams’ Championship, before Scuderia, McLaren and Red Bull closed the gap with race wins. The upgrade was intended to regain performance.
Wolff acknowledged the risk of a big package:
“I think that we are one of those large organisations that needs to be very careful how and when we spend our cost cap money,” he said. “We felt that the right strategic decision was to work towards a bigger one and then introduce it.”
“Obviously, with the risk of if it doesn't work as you've anticipated, it's just quite difficult to dial yourself out and understand why it hasn't worked. So, it's something which we will look at in the future. Maybe we'll do smaller steps, and then if there is a warning light, it's easier to undo.”
Drivers react after Sprint Qualifying
Russell, on the older spec, clinched P2 in Sprint Qualifying while Antonelli finished P7, six-tenths down on his team mate.
“I can definitely confirm the old one is not bad. Let’s see what tomorrow brings with Kimi on the upgrade,” Russell said. “As a team, there’s still nothing telling us that it isn’t working, but it’s a sport driven by the stopwatch, and the stopwatch has not been great for the upgrade yet. Let’s see, and maybe tomorrow’s a different day.”
Antonelli was more cautious:
“I think it's going to be a difficult weekend, unless we can pull something out tomorrow. It's going to be very tricky. I don't really see where we can find seven-tenths [to Max Verstappen], but you never know.”
“Maybe tonight, Bono [Peter Bonnington], the engineers, we're going to find something in the car. And for sure, I'm going to try to improve a little bit the driving, and then we'll see tomorrow where we end up.”