Wolff says Mercedes upgrade remains difficult to operate after Austin win

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said the team's latest upgrade remained difficult to operate despite Kimi Antonelli winning the United States Grand Prix. Speaking after the Austin race, Wolff linked the contrasting performances of Antonelli and team-mate George Russell to the challenge of getting the revised car working effectively, according to BBC Sport's Andrew Benson.

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Mercedes ran the upgraded specification on both cars in Austin after a less convincing introduction in Malaysia two races earlier. Wolff had said he thought the package made the car three tenths of a second per lap slower there. The team then used different specifications for its two drivers in Singapore to investigate the changes before returning both cars to the upgraded version in the United States.

Antonelli took pole position and won in Austin, while Russell finished eighth with a five-second penalty affecting his race. Wolff described the update as "difficult to operate" and said Antonelli had found a way to make it work. He attributed Russell's struggles to the car's narrow operating window, offering that as his explanation for the difference rather than saying the upgrade was now straightforward to use.

Antonelli also discussed how the Austin performance compared with his victory at Monza, where he had started 19th. The Italian said Mercedes had clearly possessed the quickest car at his home race and that overtaking had been relatively easy there. He considered Austin the stronger weekend in terms of execution, pointing to how he and the team developed their performance across the event.

The victory did not settle the drivers' championship. Antonelli needed Russell to finish below eighth and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton below fourth to secure the title in Austin. Both rivals finished exactly in those positions, keeping the contest open even though Antonelli had delivered the win he required.

BBC Sport reported that two points in Mexico would guarantee Antonelli the championship. Ninth place would therefore be enough regardless of his rivals' results, while 10th would suffice if Hamilton won. Antonelli said he intended to retain the same approach for the remaining races, seeking another victory while continuing to enjoy the season.