When Mercedes arguably underperformed in Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia despite introducing a brand-new floor and bodywork package at Sepang, the team had to figure out its next steps.
The Anglo-German squad eventually opted for split specifications at the next round in Singapore, with George Russell switching back to the previous version, which he had won in Baku with. That was a development the Briton was happy with – and even advocated for – in order to troubleshoot whatever undetected problems the Silver Arrow’s updates might have, given a power-unit penalty was putting him on the back foot anyway.
