News Summary

George Russell has revealed that his Mercedes did not feel the same after being rebuilt following his crash in the Singapore GP sprint, with the Briton reporting an unexpected loss of performance during Saturday’s Grand Prix qualifying session at Marina Bay.

Russell had shown strong pace on Friday, topping FP1 and qualifying second for the sprint with Mercedes’ older aerodynamic specification. However, his Saturday race ended on the second lap after he overtook Max Verstappen for the lead and subsequently crashed into the barriers at the final corner.

The Mercedes mechanics repaired the W17 in time for Grand Prix qualifying, but Russell admitted that the car’s behaviour had changed and that he could not immediately explain the difference.

Russell says rebuilt Mercedes did not feel the same

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after qualifying, Russell explained that the session had been used partly to verify the car’s condition following the accident.

“We were saving tyres but it was also a case just to make sure the car was built back together correctly,” Russell said.

“Something was a bit odd because we had great pace yesterday and Kimi’s in a similar position to where he was yesterday but I’ve taken a step backwards and the car didn’t feel quite the same.”

“So, yeah, we’ll go over all of that tonight and do nothing anyway.”

The comments followed a qualifying session in which Russell recorded a 1:31.747, 0.374s behind pole-sitter Verstappen, while Antonelli secured fourth with a 1:31.562.

The difference contrasted with Friday’s sprint qualifying, when Russell had qualified second and Antonelli seventh, separated by 0.573s.

As GRANDE PRÊMIO reported after the sprint, Russell had lost control after touching the kerb at the final corner and struck the barriers, ending his race shortly after taking the lead.

Mercedes continues to evaluate different aerodynamic packages

Russell’s comments also came during a weekend in which Mercedes has been comparing different aerodynamic specifications.

The Briton returned to the older W17 package for Singapore, while Antonelli continued using the update introduced at Sepang.

The comparison initially favoured Russell, who topped FP1 and qualified on the front row for the sprint.

However, Antonelli’s fourth place in Grand Prix qualifying and Russell’s difficulties after the accident complicated the team’s assessment.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had already acknowledged that the upgraded car appeared more difficult to drive, although the team had not concluded that the new specification was slower.

The team will continue analysing the data collected across the weekend as it evaluates the direction of its aerodynamic development.

Russell prepares for recovery drive from back of Singapore grid

Russell’s qualifying position will have little effect on his starting place because he carries a previously confirmed 40-place grid penalty for exceeding his power-unit component allocation.

The Briton will start at the back of the field, leaving him with a difficult task at Marina Bay, where overtaking is particularly challenging.

Asked what would make Sunday’s race successful, Russell focused on recovering positions rather than continuing Mercedes’ aerodynamic comparison.

“I mean, we’re having a great race and trying to come through and doing good overtakes,” Russell said.

The Mercedes driver enters Sunday’s Grand Prix 89 points behind championship leader Antonelli, following his sprint retirement and the Italian’s fourth-place finish.

The complete Singapore GP qualifying results are available in GRANDE PRÊMIO, alongside the updated Singapore GP schedule. GRANDE PRÊMIO follows the latest Formula 1 news throughout the Singapore GP weekend.