F1: Mercedes brings Singapore front wing back for Austin

Mercedes no longer wants only a faster F1 car, but a W17 that is easier to drive. In Austin, the team is putting the front wing tested in Singapore back on the cars of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, together with its latest aerodynamic package, according to explanations given on 19 October 2026.

A package that shifted the balance

The package introduced at Sepang in Malaysia did increase downforce, but not evenly across the car's operating range. The aerodynamic balance moved forward, which narrowed the window in which the W17 works well. Deputy technical director Simone Resta describes a nuanced effect that varies with conditions: the front end is sharper, perhaps a little more than expected. The window therefore has to be re-centred, which will take time.

Kimi Antonelli reported persistent mid-corner understeer at Sepang and then in Singapore. To rotate the car he leans on the throttle, which wears the rear tyres faster on a hot, abrasive track. Rear stability, a strength of the W17 early in the season, has declined.

Singapore: a test and a comparison

At Marina Bay, Antonelli ran the newest package while Russell kept the previous version, giving the team a direct comparison. The new front wing was used for only one hour in first practice, on Antonelli's car, before the team went back to the old one. Deputy team principal Bradley Lord explains that there was only one example, rushed through production: the risk of a pit-lane start if it were damaged did not justify racing it in qualifying.

Over the weekend, the sprint in the rain showed marked oversteer at the start, then a better balance as the front tyres wore. Once parc fermé restrictions were lifted, Mercedes changed the set-up to stabilise the rear, which improved performance in qualifying and the race. Antonelli is one of only two drivers in the top 10 to have gained ground compared with Friday qualifying.

What Mercedes expects from Austin

According to the team, that hour on track should help it get going faster in Austin with both cars in the same configuration. Resta presents the test as an investment in the future. Using the only practice session of a sprint weekend to test a part rather than set the car up is unusual, and Singapore's daytime conditions are very different from the night-time qualifying and race.

The sporting stakes are high. Antonelli has 340 points to Russell's 238 in the championship, and Mercedes leads the constructors' standings with 578 points ahead of Ferrari (444). Antonelli also has his first mathematical chance to clinch the world title in Austin. The race will show whether the work makes the W17 easier to extract performance from, and not only faster at its peak.

The editorial team