Mercedes May Ditch Sepang Aero Upgrade After It Sends the W17 Backwards

Mercedes' biggest upgrade of the season has backfired spectacularly, and the team is now openly considering throwing it away.

The major aerodynamic package — the W17's first significant update since May — was expected to deliver around three tenths of a second at Sepang. Instead, both cars went backwards in qualifying, with Toto Wolff admitting the team was as much as six tenths off the pace. "We've never had an update go so wrong like this before," Wolff told Sky Deutschland. "You're expecting three tenths to kick in, and it looks like three or four or five-tenths backwards."

Reverting to the previous specification is now on the table. "That's not out of the question," Wolff confirmed, joking the team would have to "find the old parts somewhere in the truck and get them back on the car." Championship leader Kimi Antonelli wants answers fast and has suggested a direct old-versus-new comparison during Friday practice at this weekend's Singapore sprint: "That's an answer I'd like to give myself as soon as possible."

The upgrade misery compounded a grim Sunday in Malaysia, where George Russell retired late with a power unit failure while running third, stretching Antonelli's championship lead from 66 to 84 points with seven rounds remaining. Wolff warned reliability could yet threaten both cars: "The championship could turn quickly if he retires, so it can't continue like this."