Why Russell is ditching Mercedes' major F1 upgrade
Mercedes Formula 1 driver George Russell has opted to revert to an older aerodynamic package for the Singapore Grand Prix. The decision follows a disappointing performance in Malaysia and aims to address inconsistencies in the car's recent upgrade.
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This highlights the technical challenges teams face in balancing theoretical performance gains with real-world track data in high-stakes professional sports.
Formula 1 Why Russell is ditching Mercedes' major F1 upgrade Josh Suttill 08 Oct 2026 — 3 min read George Russell isn’t running the theoretically faster Mercedes upgrade package at this weekend’s Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, something Russell first suggested.
Russell’s retirement in Malaysia means he’ll take a grid penalty this weekend for engine component changes, but he’ll also be running a very different aerodynamic specification to team-mate Kimi Antonelli.
That’s because Russell’s Mercedes has been rolled back to before the upgrade was introduced in Malaysia last weekend.
After its confusing debut, Mercedes had left the door open to splitting its drivers across the old and new packages for Singapore, something it confirmed on Wednesday, but on Thursday, Russell revealed he’d actually "instigated the conversation prior to the race on Sunday" in Malaysia.
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