Mercedes Heads to Sepang With a Big Upgrade—and a Baku Win
George Russell’s Azerbaijan victory came before Mercedes’ planned significant updates, leaving its rivals watching closely for another step forward at Sepang.
Mercedes arrives in Malaysia with a win behind it and a significant upgrade still to come. That is an uncomfortable combination for the teams trying to catch it.
George Russell’s Baku victory demonstrated what the W17 could already deliver. The next question is whether Mercedes can add to that performance at the Bahrain GP, held this weekend at Sepang in Malaysia.
Max Verstappen, who chased Russell home in Azerbaijan, has already acknowledged the potential problem for Red Bull.
The timetable was set before Baku
Mercedes’ plans predate Russell’s win. Speaking on the Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show in comments reported on September 19, trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said updates would arrive “from Malaysia onwards.”
That wording matters. Sepang marks the beginning of the planned rollout, rather than confirmation that every development will appear together at one race.
Shovlin hoped for a useful performance gain, but his expectations were measured: “I don’t think we’re going to be out front by miles.”
Mercedes had continued making smaller, circuit-specific changes. The significant package was still ahead when Russell took pole and won in Baku, giving the upcoming introduction a different context: Mercedes is adding to a car that can already win.
Verstappen sees the risk
Red Bull left Azerbaijan with both drivers on the podium, but Verstappen was cautious about carrying that competitiveness into Malaysia.
In the FIA’s post-race press conference, he said a successful Mercedes upgrade would move its rival further ahead.
“It will make it even more difficult to win,” Verstappen said.
The condition is important: the upgrade has to work. Mercedes has not yet demonstrated its gains on track, and the comments do not establish a lap-time improvement.
Russell was optimistic about the developments, while acknowledging that their real-world performance still needed to be seen.
Sepang provides a different test
Russell highlighted how well Mercedes had performed on low-drag circuits such as Monza and Baku. Sepang adds a different challenge, combining long straights with fast, flowing corners and heavy braking.
Straight-line efficiency will still count, but it will not tell the whole story. The useful test is whether Mercedes can turn the new parts into a stronger overall lap while keeping the car competitive over a race stint.
For Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull, that is the concern heading into the weekend. Matching the Mercedes that won in Azerbaijan may not be enough if the next version delivers the step its team hopes for.
