Mercedes Struggle in Malaysia Qualifying: Antonelli P3, Russell P7
- Mercedes suffered its toughest Saturday of the season during qualifying for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, leaving George Russell off the...
- The team needs to analyze data to understand why they suffered more than their competitors.
- Kimi Antonelli looked fast during the early phases of qualifying but ran wide on his first lap in Q2, losing his time to track limits and forcing him...
Mercedes suffered its toughest Saturday of the season during qualifying for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, leaving George Russell off the pace in eighth and Kimi Antonelli fourth on the grid before a track limits penalty for Hadjar promoted him to third. Formula 1 has returned to the Sepang circuit for the first time since 2017 following a schedule change that relocated the race from Bahrain due to regional geopolitical conflicts.
How did Mercedes evaluate its qualifying performance at Sepang?
The team needs to analyze data to understand why they suffered more than their competitors. George Russell described the session as his toughest Saturday of the year, pointing out that low grip made lap times several seconds slower than when they last raced here in 2017. Kimi Antonelli explained that high track temperatures and aggressive tarmac made consistent performance difficult. Toto Wolff noted that Mercedes did not expect to struggle this much in Malaysia and that the team must dig deep and consider many factors.
What caused Kimi Antonelli and George Russell to miss the front row?
Kimi Antonelli looked fast during the early phases of qualifying but ran wide on his first lap in Q2, losing his time to track limits and forcing him to use an extra set of tyres. That mistake left him with only one fresh set of soft tyres for Q3, limiting his run plan.
I put myself under quite a lot of pressure with only one new set of Soft tyres in Q3 but I did what I could. If we had a second set, I think we could have fought for the front-row, but I don’t think we could have challenged Max (Verstappen) for pole.
Kimi Antonelli
Meanwhile, George Russell struggled with pace throughout the session, ending up eighth on the timing sheets before gaining one position from a grid penalty applied to Hadjar. Russell also noted that while overtaking should be possible with sufficient speed, he needed a better result to maintain momentum from Baku.
How does Williams approach race day after practice sessions?
At Williams, drivers Carlos and Alex gathered tire degradation data during practice sessions at Sepang, running consecutive laps on used soft tires to prepare for high-wear stints. The team made minor balance adjustments and recorded long runs averaging around 1:43.056 on 11-lap-old used softs to map out their race strategy. During Q1, Carlos set a provisional time of 1:38.102 while Alex recorded 1:38.848, with Carlos finishing 0.746s ahead of his team-mate.
What is expected for race strategy and tire degradation?
Teams face extreme tire degradation across the Sepang asphalt, pointing toward a multi-stop Grand Prix on Sunday. Andrew Shovlin noted that degradation levels leave teams heading a little bit into the unknown regarding race pace and strategy, potentially creating opportunities through varied pit stops. Kimi Antonelli highlighted that anticipated multi-stop strategies and potential rain could open up advancement paths during the race.
When does the race take place?
The 2026 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix takes place from October 2 to October 4, 2026, at the Sepang International Circuit in Selangor, Malaysia.