Category: Formula 1
Series: Breaking
Competition: Singapore Grand Prix
George Russell set the pace in the only practice session ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix as Mercedes’ controversial decision to split its car specifications immediately produced an intriguing result.
Russell, running Mercedes’ previous specification rather than the team’s latest upgrade package, finished FP1 fastest at Marina Bay, with Charles Leclerc second for Ferrari and Lando Norris third for McLaren.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was seventh, while Max Verstappen finished sixth for Red Bull.
The result does not settle the upgrade debate, but it gives Mercedes plenty of information to study ahead of Sprint Qualifying later on Friday.
With Singapore hosting its first Sprint weekend, teams had just one 60-minute practice session to understand their cars before qualifying.
That made the comparison between the two Mercedes particularly important.
Mercedes Split the Cars to Find Answers
Mercedes arrived in Singapore with a deliberate experiment.
Antonelli retained the latest upgrade package introduced at the previous round in Malaysia, while Russell reverted to an older specification that had previously delivered strong performance.
The decision was made because Mercedes had not yet been able to establish whether the new package was genuinely delivering the expected performance gain.
Antonelli is also running a new front wing in Singapore, designed to complement the latest development package.
Mercedes had introduced major changes to its car in Malaysia, including revised bodywork and floor modifications, but the team felt the results were inconclusive.
The Singapore weekend therefore became an opportunity to conduct a direct comparison.
And Russell’s FP1 performance immediately gave the engineers another piece of evidence.
Russell Fastest on the Old Package
Russell posted the fastest lap of the session despite running the older Mercedes specification.
He finished ahead of Leclerc and Norris, while Verstappen was sixth and Antonelli seventh.
The result is particularly interesting because Mercedes is not simply chasing a qualifying lap this weekend.
The team wants to understand why its latest development package has not delivered the expected improvement.
Russell’s older-specification car provides a useful benchmark against Antonelli’s updated machine.
However, one practice session is not enough to declare one package superior.
Singapore is a unique street circuit, conditions can change rapidly and the teams were working with limited running because of the Sprint format.
Russell’s result is therefore a clue rather than a conclusion.
Antonelli Stays With the New Mercedes
For championship leader Antonelli, the weekend has a different objective.
The Italian remains committed to the latest package and will continue using it throughout the weekend.
Mercedes believes Singapore provides a better opportunity to understand the development because of the circuit’s characteristics and the data available from the previous round.
Antonelli has already acknowledged that the team needs to unlock more of the package’s potential.
The new front wing is intended to complete the latest development direction, giving Mercedes another variable to assess.
Antonelli’s seventh-place FP1 finish, however, means the team still has plenty of work to do before Sprint Qualifying.
More importantly, the comparison with Russell will continue throughout the weekend.
Red Bull Arrive With Momentum
Red Bull also enter Singapore with renewed confidence after Max Verstappen’s victory in Malaysia.
That was Verstappen’s first win of the 2026 season and Red Bull’s first victory with its own power unit.
The Dutchman has never won the Singapore Grand Prix despite several strong results at Marina Bay, making this weekend another opportunity to remove one of the major gaps from his record.
Verstappen finished sixth in FP1 without using the softest tyre, meaning the timesheets do not tell the whole story of Red Bull’s pace.
Red Bull and Mercedes therefore have different questions to answer.
Mercedes are trying to understand their development package.
Red Bull are trying to establish whether the performance shown in Malaysia can be carried over to another circuit.
And neither team has much time to find the answer.
One Practice Session, Then Straight Into Qualifying
The Singapore Grand Prix is hosting a Sprint for the first time, fundamentally changing the weekend schedule.
There is no traditional second or third practice session.
FP1 was the only opportunity for teams to gather data before Sprint Qualifying.
Sprint Qualifying follows on Friday evening, with the Sprint scheduled for Saturday before the main qualifying session later that night.
The Grand Prix takes place on Sunday under the Marina Bay lights.
That compressed schedule makes every lap of practice more valuable.
Teams cannot simply spend Friday afternoon changing the car and waiting for another practice session to evaluate the result.
The decisions made after FP1 will immediately influence the competitive picture.
Russell’s Grid Penalty Adds Another Twist
Despite topping practice, Russell faces a major challenge for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Mercedes has confirmed that he will start the main race from the back of the grid because of an engine-related penalty following his power-unit failure in Malaysia.
Russell was on course for another podium at Sepang before retiring late in the race, forcing Mercedes to replace power-unit components and exceed his seasonal allocation.
The penalty does not apply to Saturday’s Sprint.
That gives Russell an important opportunity to score points before Sunday’s Grand Prix.
His FP1 performance suggests the older Mercedes specification remains competitive around Marina Bay, but the real test will come when the field enters qualifying conditions.
What FP1 Really Tells Us
The headline is simple:
Russell was fastest.
But the more interesting story is what Mercedes learned from putting two different cars on track.
Russell’s old-specification Mercedes topped the session.
Antonelli’s updated Mercedes finished seventh.
That does not automatically prove that the old package is better. The two drivers may have been working through different programmes, and the tyre choices were not identical.
Indeed, neither Antonelli nor the Red Bull drivers used the soft tyre during the session, meaning their positions may not accurately represent their ultimate one-lap pace.
Still, Mercedes now has exactly the comparison it wanted.
The engineers can examine the two cars’ data and decide whether the latest development direction is delivering what was expected.
The Fight Starts Now
Singapore was always going to be a demanding weekend.
The Marina Bay circuit is physically punishing, the race takes place in intense heat and humidity, and the Sprint format leaves almost no room for teams to recover from a poor setup decision.
Mercedes have added another layer by running two different specifications.
Russell has already provided an encouraging signal with the older car.
Antonelli needs to extract more from the new package.
Verstappen and Red Bull arrive with momentum after their breakthrough victory.
And Ferrari and McLaren remain firmly in the fight after Leclerc and Norris finished second and third respectively in FP1.
The first practice session has answered very little.
But it has created a fascinating question for the rest of the weekend:
Did Mercedes finally find the answer with its old package — or can Antonelli unlock the potential of the new one?
The next answer comes under the lights in Sprint Qualifying.
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