MOTOR RACING: Mercedes' Antonelli sees progress as Russell takes a step back

Kimi Antonelli said Mercedes have got to the bottom of the issues on the new upgrade on his car after he qualified fourth-fastest on Saturday in Singapore, but George Russell feels he has taken a "step backwards" after a crash in the sprint.

Formula One championship leader Antonelli, who leads Russell by 89 points, is looking to become the youngest ever world champion at 20 and will line up behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen and the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

Antonelli said he and the team are beginning to come to grips with a new upgrade package that was introduced in Sepang -- where he finished second -- while Russell reverted to an older setup that helped him win in Baku last month.

"It definitely felt in a better place today, even though the window is very small where the car operates," Antonelli said after Saturday's qualifying session.

"The team did a really good job because, first of all, we found the issues. Now we're able to understand more of the package and now it's more about trying to find the right window with the setup to make sure that the package works at its best.

"Let's see what we can do from P4 but a podium will be very good."

'TWO TEST PILOTS'

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff had said on Friday that it had been tricky to assess the upgrade package over consecutive race weekends, with the team running "two test pilots" on the Marina Bay Street Circuit to weigh up the upgrade's value.

"On Kimi's side the updates seem to have worked now," Wolff said.

"He and his engineers have dialled out the problems and we got closer and closer. We're missing a tenth and a half or two-tenths, and that is, at least for qualifying, positive.

"It will take some more proof of concept until I'm feeling warm and fuzzy. But we will have more data tomorrow, in the race, whether we can have less degradation."

Wolff, who on Friday had dismissed suggestions of favouritism within the Mercedes team, said Russell had made a rare mistake to spin out of the lead in the sprint, reminiscent of a last-lap crash at Singapore in 2023 that cost him a shot at victory.

Russell, who was sixth-fastest in Q3 but is set to start at the back of the grid due to an engine penalty, said he used the qualifying session to test whether his car was in working order after retiring from the sprint.

"Something was a bit odd because we had great pace yesterday, and Kimi's in a similar position to where he was yesterday," Russell said.

"But I've taken a step backwards and the car didn't feel quite the same... It'll be tough racing (tomorrow)."

-Reporting by Tom Westbrook, editing by Pritha Sarkar/Reuters