# Mercedes Upgrade Confusion

> Mercedes driver admits upgrade may have slowed them down.
- Title: Mercedes Upgrade Confusion · RaceFans | Shortify
- Summary: Mercedes driver admits upgrade may have slowed them down. Mercedes' new car upgrade could have made them slower, not faster, due to old track surfaces.
- Keywords: mercedes, antonnelli, formula one, w17, sepan, sepang international circuit, tarmac, sports, cars, Upgrade, Confusion, RaceFans
- Source: RaceFans — https://racefans.net/2026/10/05/mercedes-dont-know-if-upgrade-made-us-faster-or-slower-antonelli
- Published: 2026-10-05T06:15:58+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: mercedes, antonnelli, formula one, w17, sepan, sepang international circuit, tarmac, sports, cars
## Mercedes upgrade confusion
Mercedes driver admits new parts may have made them less competitive.
## Antonelli leads race
Antonelli led opening stages ahead of George Russell but both were overtaken by Max Verstappen.
## Singapore race planned
Mercedes planned Singapore race upgrade but moved it to Malaysia due to Bahrain cancellation.
## Sepang track issues
Unusually abrasive track surface at Sepang made it hard to understand upgrade performance.
## Tarmac performance problem
Team struggles on old tarmac tracks like Zandvoort where McLaren was quicker.

> the question we need to answer because we don’t really know if it made us go faster or worse
## Singapore upgrade plan
Team expects better understanding of upgrade before Singapore race.
## Key takeaway

Mercedes' new car upgrade could have made them slower, not faster, due to old track surfaces.