Antonelli proving his quality with how he's handling a difficult car, says Mercedes' Wolff

Kimi Antonelli has drawn praise from Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff for how he's handled a Mercedes that has proven tricky to drive since its most recent update package was rolled out in Malaysia.

Antonelli, who finished second in Malaysia and third in Singapore, ran the update in Singapore while teammate George Russell used an older specification of car so that Mercedes could compare the different components.

“I think it's a good phase, because we had a car that was dominant for long spells at the beginning, and then he did get the best out of it,” Wolff said. “But then we put a car on the track in Kuala Lumpur that wasn't easy, that was slower, and I think the work over the weekend from the two drivers led to a point that the car in the race [in Singapore] was not bad.

“Was it as quick as it should have been? With the upgrade, it wasn’t. But I think he managed his race, he kept his cool – other than a few of the track limits, where I have a good strategy. I'm going to put a pillow from the hotel under his ass, under his butt, so he can actually see the road … that stresses us. Half the race we already have three strikes, but it also shows that he's pushing the limits a lot.

“But coming back, I think how he's driven is mature and good. We talked about it and he said, ‘I've just got to keep my calm here and make sure that I finish the race’. So handling a difficult car at that stage and trying to develop it and learn, it's good.”

While attention will turn to Antonelli’s potential crowning – there is a mathematical chance of him becoming world champion in Austin – Wolff says Mercedes' longer-term competitive hopes will be heavily influenced by understanding how its latest package can be optimized.

“When we entered the weekend, we made the unusual move in a cutting-edge technology business to have two different cars, because we felt we need to accelerate our learning curve. And that was good," he said.

“But fundamentally, looking back at the race now, at the end of the weekend, I think that this new car needs a very different set-up philosophy than the previous car. And this is what we're learning at the moment. Was it an easy car like the previous one? I don't think it was. Does it have the performance that we were hoping the upgrade would bring? I don't think so yet. But it was a step in the right direction.

“And in Austin, we shall see whether we can continue to consolidate that and whether, in effect, it has more performance because it's crucial for the development direction for next year.”