Mercedes plan to use the new front wing on Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s and George Russell’s cars during the remaining two days of the Grand Prix weekend. The wing was introduced in Singapore, but removed from Antonelli’s car after one practice session.

Mercedes have not brought any updates to this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, but one relatively new component will still make an appearance. The front wing, which was first brought to Singapore, was removed after one practice session. However, that was not a sign that the wing was failing to perform as intended. At the time, the team had only one available and did not want to risk racing with it.

In Texas, the front wing will see extensive use. Both Russell and Antonelli have the new specification, which is part of the continued development of the upgrade package Mercedes began introducing earlier in Malaysia.

In any case, this is an interesting weekend for Mercedes. Although the revised package generates more downforce, the Silver Arrows have struggled to make consistent use of the additional performance. Finding the right set-up has proved particularly challenging.

That is why Antonelli ran the latest package of updates in Singapore, while Russell reverted to the older specification. This allowed the engineers to make much better comparisons and see what was and was not working.

Antonelli sees opportunities for Mercedes

Photo: Race Pictures

Antonelli is pleased with the progress Mercedes is making with the revised package. "Since Singapore, we’ve been able to analyse the data and now have a better understanding of what this package needs. We’re still trying to figure out how to get the car into the right operating window, but we’re making progress," said the Italian.

Trackside technical director Andrew Shovlin also sees improvement. "We had fewer balance issues, the car was more predictable, and the lap times improved as a result," he said after the two practice sessions in the United States.