Kimi Antonelli admitted that the new specification of the Mercedes W17, used during the Singapore Grand Prix, proved to be “very difficult” to drive after his 7th place in Sprint Qualifying.
Mercedes decided to split their specifications for this weekend: George Russell is using the earlier version of the car, while Antonelli is running the updated version introduced at the last Grand Prix in Malaysia. This decision follows inconclusive results from the upgrades at Sepang.
On the first day at Marina Bay, Russell dominated the free practice sessions and qualified second in Sprint Qualifying, while Antonelli lagged noticeably, finishing 7th in both sessions.
Asked after Sprint Qualifying, Antonelli explained: “The car is very difficult, unpredictable, and it’s complicated to put in a fast lap. I had high hopes, but so far, it’s very challenging.”
He added that he anticipates a tough weekend unless improvements are found, particularly with the help of his race engineer Bono Pete Bonnington. Antonelli also hopes to improve his driving to close the gap with his teammate.