Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has confirmed that both drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell will use the Silver Arrows' latest upgrade package in Austin after running a split-spec strategy at the Singapore GP.

While Antonelli had the latest specification of the Mercedes W17 in Singapore, helping him achieve a P3 finish at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Russell opted to run with the specification previously used at the Azerbaijan GP two rounds prior over doubts surrounding performance.

After a difficult first run of the upgrades at a rain-soaked Sepang, Wolff explained in Singapore that the package had not quite yielded the results the Silver Arrows were hoping for, but that it was a step in the right direction. Austin was then earmarked as an important checkpoint for the new package.

He told media, including GPblog: "I think that this new car needs a very different setup philosophy than the previous car, and this is what we’re learning at the moment.

“Does it have the performance that we were hoping the upgrade would bring? I don’t think so yet, but it was a step in the right direction, and in Austin, we shall see whether we can continue to consolidate that, and whether in effect it has more performance because it’s crucial for the development direction for next year.”

Mercedes confirm Austin upgrade strategy

Can Mercedes turn things around after the upgrade? - Photo: Race Pictures

In his United States GP preview, however, Wolff confirmed that both Antonelli and Russell will run the same spec in Austin, home to the iconic Circuit of the Americas.

"Malaysia and Singapore were difficult weekends for us and we have worked hard to understand where we fell short," Wolff said. "Austin gives us an opportunity to respond. We will run our latest update package on both cars as we continue to develop the car.

"The field is incredibly close, so we need to keep moving forward if we want to fight consistently at the front in the closing stages of the season.

"The United States Grand Prix begins another demanding triple-header. There is plenty at stake, but we won't get ahead of ourselves. The priority is the weekend in front of us: execute well, maximise our performance and take each race as it comes."

Wolff is right when he says plenty is at stake. For the first time this season, Antonelli enters a race weekend knowing he can leave as world champion. 102 points ahead of Russell in the Drivers' standings, should the 20-year-old win the US GP, while his teammate finishes P9 or lower and Lewis Hamilton finishes fifth or lower, he will become the youngest-ever F1 world champion.