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Formula 1 championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli admitted following the Malaysian Grand Prix that Mercedes are still unsure whether the W17 upgrades introduced at Sepang are working effectively.
The race was won by Max Verstappen, with Antonelli taking second place, while fellow Mercedes driver George Russell was forced to retire due to a power unit failure.
"We still haven't fully assessed the impact of the new parts on the car," explained the Italian, who further extended his lead at the top of the standings. "The bumpy track and the high temperatures across the weekend are factors that don't work in our favour, as was the case in Malaysia.
"However, I hope that in Singapore we will find the right setup and unlock more pace. I already said after the flag that second place was the maximum achievable for me on Sunday, and I am increasingly convinced of that.
"We have yet to understand the full potential of the new elements, and we're not sure how much faster we will be with them. Every time this year we've raced on a circuit with older, more abrasive tarmac, we've struggled. At Zandvoort, the McLarens were much quicker than us—perhaps that is down to tyre behaviour on older asphalt."
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