Mercedes brought their biggest car upgrade in four months to Malaysia, and George Russell says it still could not overcome the track. The reigning world champions debuted the package at Sepang on Friday, but Russell warned that tyre wear is so severe teams are losing grip faster than the upgrades can help.
“We need to make some set-up adjustments. We’re a bit off the pace,” Russell said after practice. “With these conditions, tyre deg is huge for everybody and the cars are operating in a very different window so I think, as a team, we just haven’t got the car quite where we need it to be.”
The warning comes ahead of qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix at 9am on Sky Sports F1, with final practice starting at 5.30am on Saturday. Russell finished second to Max Verstappen in opening practice but fell to seventh and eighth on the later timesheet alongside team-mate Kimi Antonelli.
The Upgrade That Did Not Overwhelm
Mercedes’ aerodynamic package is their first of this size since the Canadian Grand Prix at the end of May. It includes changes to the floor and rear suspension.
Russell felt the downforce in the corners, but the tyres overheated too much for the gains to show. “I’m feeling the downforce in terms of the corners but with this amount of tyre overheating and tyre degradation that kind of trumps everything,” he said.
The problem is not unique to Mercedes. The abrasive tarmac and sweltering heat have created unusually high tyre wear across the field.
Verstappen and McLaren Are Fast
Verstappen was the standout performer of the day. He did not run the quicker soft tyre at all, yet still finished fourth fastest overall. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc set the pace ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and McLaren’s Lando Norris.
McLaren are considered Mercedes’ closest challengers at Sepang, where the track’s high-speed corners suit their car. The team made a low-key start to Friday with neither driver finishing inside the top 10 in first practice, but Norris showed promise on the soft-tyre runs in the second session.
Oscar Piastri was sixth quickest overall and agreed that McLaren’s second session “seemed reasonable”. “I think we’re maybe a tiny step behind, but we made a lot of progress from FP1 so hopefully we can keep that trend going and we’ll see where we end up,” he said.
The Track Makes Everyone Uneasy
Sepang is a new challenge for F1. The Malaysian venue is hosting the Bahrain Grand Prix for the first time since 2017, and the abrasive tarmac is causing problems for all teams. The track is sweeping, and the conditions are punishing.
Russell enjoyed his first taste of the circuit. “Firstly, it was a really cool experience driving this circuit. I have never driven here before and it’s really an iconic place, so that was cool,” he said.
But the racing is another matter. “But with these conditions, tyre deg is huge for everybody and the cars are operating in a very different window,” Russell added.
The Setup Race Runs Overnight
Russell’s diagnosis points to set-up as the main issue, not the upgrade itself. “So we just need to get on top of that overnight. That’s more of a set-up rather than the upgrade itself and go from there,” he said.
The question is whether Mercedes can dial in a solution before Saturday morning. The team has the resources to make rapid changes, but the nature of the problem — tyres overheating in seconds — is not one that software alone can fix.
| Team | Friday Position | Key Driver | Tyre Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes | Seventh and eighth | Russell and Antonelli | Single soft-tyre flying laps |
| Red Bull | Fourth (Verstappen) | Verstappen | Soft tyre on one lap |
| McLaren | Sixth (Piastri) | Norris | Soft-tyre runs |
The Pole Question
Asked if Mercedes would be pole contenders if they make the required set-up changes for Saturday, Russell hedged. “Currently I think Verstappen looks very fast and then the race pace of McLaren looked very quick,” he said.
“But never say never.”
Russell’s honesty is the story here. He is not hiding behind the upgrade. He is saying the car is not ready for this track, and he is doing it in front of the cameras.
The key for Mercedes is Saturday morning. The final practice session starts at 5.30am, and qualifying follows at 9am. The race starts at 8am on Sunday, live on Sky Sports F1.
Russell’s assessment is blunt. The car is not where it needs to be, and the upgrades are being overwhelmed by the conditions. Whether the team can adjust in time remains to be seen.
Source material: “'Not where it needs to be' – Russell warns of threats to Mercedes at brutal Sepang,” Sky Sports.
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