Mercedes arrived in Malaysia with a significant upgrade package for the W17, but the expected performance boost was not immediately evident during Friday practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The team revised seven components of the car for its return to Sepang, yet Kimi Antonelli and George Russell struggled to match the pace of the leading Red Bull and Ferrari machinery. Mercedes now faces a major overnight analysis session to understand how to extract the maximum performance from the new package before qualifying on Saturday at 9:00am UK time.
“It was probably one of our toughest Fridays so far this season,” admitted Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord after the two practice sessions.
Mercedes drivers report more downforce despite difficult Friday
The initial feedback from Antonelli and Russell about the upgrade was nevertheless encouraging.
According to Lord, both drivers reported “positive” sensations from the revised W17 and said they were “feeling more downforce in the high-speed corners.”
However, Mercedes has yet to translate that additional aerodynamic performance into competitive lap times.
“We need to make sure we use the car in a way that allows it to work optimally with this update, and there will be a lot of work to do tonight sifting through the data and simply ensuring we tick all the boxes correctly,” Lord explained.
That work will be particularly important because Mercedes cannot simply revert to its previous specification.
Mercedes has no option but to make the new package work
Lord confirmed there is “no way to undo the update”, meaning Mercedes must work with the revised W17 for the remainder of the weekend.
“So we have to make do with what we have and make the best of it,” he said.
The situation leaves the team with a substantial amount of data to analyse before Saturday’s running. Mercedes must determine whether Friday’s performance was primarily caused by setup, tyre management or the way the new aerodynamic package was being operated.
The competitive picture also remains difficult to read because neither Mercedes driver completed a representative soft-tyre qualifying simulation during FP2.
Russell identifies setup as an area Mercedes must address
Russell finished second in FP1, but was almost four-tenths of a second behind Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. Antonelli was fifth, more than one second away from the benchmark.
The gap remained significant in FP2, with Russell seventh and Antonelli eighth, approximately half a second behind Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.
Russell, competing at the “iconic Sepang circuit” for the first time, acknowledged that Mercedes still has work to do.
“I think as a team we just don’t quite have the car where we need it to be yet, and we need to make some adjustments to the setup as we are a bit off the pace,” he said.
Tyre degradation was also a significant factor for Russell during the opening day.
Sepang weather could create another variable
Friday remained dry, leaving teams without meaningful wet-weather data ahead of the rest of the weekend. That could become important at Sepang, where heavy tropical rainfall can rapidly transform track conditions.
The heat and humidity are already providing a significant physical challenge, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius.
Qualifying is scheduled for 9:00am UK time on Saturday, followed by Sunday’s race at 8:00am UK time.
The unusual Malaysian event is taking place because the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix was unable to go ahead as originally scheduled due to the conflict in the region. The event was not subsequently rescheduled in Bahrain, resulting in Formula 1 returning to Sepang for the first time in nine years.
Twelve of the 22 drivers are making their debut at the popular circuit near Kuala Lumpur, adding another layer of uncertainty to what could be a strategically complicated weekend.
For Mercedes, however, the immediate priority is much simpler: understand why its seven-part upgrade has not yet produced the expected gains and find the setup window before qualifying.
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The Judge, a nom de plume of an experienced F1 journalist and site founder with long-standing sources across the paddock. With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
