Mercedes admits to struggles after disappointing upgrade

Mercedes acknowledges that its weekend is not going as hoped. The Bahrain Grand Prix, held at Sepang International Circuit, exposed weaknesses beneath the surface: the team’s advantage has narrowed against a field led by Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The W17 still has shortcomings despite a major upgrade that had been anticipated for several races.

Antonelli will start third after Hadjar was penalised and dropped to eighth. But the new configuration has not brought Mercedes all the progress it expected. The team had delayed its major upgrade until Sepang; high degradation and the variety of the circuit in southern Malaysia made things more difficult.

In the championship, Kimi Antonelli leads teammate George Russell by 66 points and can continue to manage that advantage. The race is also expected to clarify the championship picture, but the outlook is not encouraging for Mercedes. Verstappen, meanwhile, does not deny that he is a title contender and accepts that status.

Toto Wolff warned: «It will be another day, and I don’t know whether we’ll have the same problems… or worse ones. It’s uncharted territory.» The team fears the worst, while Verstappen expects a difficult race in Malaysia, particularly because of the heat for the brakes and tyres. He says he feels good and hopes the race will show that, while acknowledging that its course is impossible to predict.