Mercedes have started to regress with their new upgrade package, and it has raised concerns for Jolyon Palmer as their rivals start to catch them.

The Silver Arrows introduced a new aero package in Malaysia, but it made the W17 slower as Max Verstappen claimed the victory. Kimi Antonelli was second, but he did not have the pace to match the Red Bull, while George Russell retired with an engine failure.

In Singapore, Mercedes split specifications, giving Antonelli the newer version. The team were again off the pace, with Red Bull and Ferrari having stronger packages over the weekend.

Jolyon Palmer questions if Mercedes will fight for the 2027 title amid upgrade problems

The data showed that Antonelli had the superior pace with the new upgrade package over Russell. However, that was mainly down to Mercedes making tweaks during the race which put the W17 in the right operating window.

Verstappen and Red Bull have made huge strides forward, arguably overtaking Mercedes as they struggle with their upgrades. With this, Palmer sees a ‘big concern’ for their title chances in 2027.

He said via F1 Nation: “When you look at the trajectory of the team from the start of the year to now, it’s a big concern for them. How are they going to even fight for the championship next year with the way that everyone has caught and perhaps surpassed them?

“So their number one goal for the rest of the year… The titles are in the pocket. Their number one goal has to now be, it doesn’t matter if you don’t even win a race.

“Understand the car and make sure that you find out that when you put parts into development back at Brackley, when you put them on the car, you go quicker. That is the key now to Mercedes’s future success that the current success is in the bag.”

Palmer then shared that he spoke with Mercedes in Singapore. The team found that the numbers, particularly with aero balance, did not add up to what was seen on track.

“So I was speaking to the to the guys in Singapore and there were fundamentals that they realised through that weekend were out of kilter with what their numbers were suggesting and mainly it was about aero balance,” he continued.

“So they had effectively more front end on the car than they thought was right for that car. They dialled that back with Kimi at the wheel making some changes on the fly, and then they fixed it for qualifying when parc ferme opened and they went into a much better window.

“Only Kimi and Lewis improved between Sprint quali and qualifying. Generally the track was a bit worse. So it says that they understood something about the car. And if they keep understanding it, then great, it works.”