What happened: Mercedes will run Kimi Antonelli and George Russell in the same latest-specification car at the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. The call follows the split-spec run in Singapore.

Why it matters: Running one specification gives Mercedes a clean read across both cars to open the Texas triple-header. Russell qualified second in Singapore in the older specification, setting a baseline for the upgrade.

What to watch: The update faces its first test in Friday practice at Austin. Qualifying then decides the starting order for the triple-header opener.