Antonelli struggling to understand ‘unpredictable’ W17 package

Kimi Antonelli has expressed difficulty in adapting to Mercedes' latest W17 upgrade during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. Despite arriving with high expectations, he finished seventh in Sprint Qualifying, significantly behind his teammate George Russell, who performed better with the older car specification. Antonelli described the upgraded package as unpredictable and challenging to drive, raising concerns about his championship lead.

The split-specification strategy employed by Mercedes has not yielded the desired results, with Antonelli struggling to extract performance from the new package. With limited practice time, the team faces challenges in making necessary adjustments before the next competitive session. Antonelli remains hopeful for improvements but acknowledges the significant gap he needs to close to compete effectively.