Andrea Kimi Antonelli faces a double challenge at Sepang: learning the Malaysian circuit for the first time while also evaluating a major Mercedes upgrade package that he says could be worth around three tenths of a second. The championship leader has prepared for the track in the simulator, but Friday’s opening practice session will be crucial both for understanding the new components and adapting the W17 to Sepang’s abrasive asphalt and demanding tyre conditions.
Antonelli spent several days in Kuala Lumpur before the weekend, combining some relaxation with Mercedes’ traditional promotional activities linked to Petronas, the team’s long-standing Malaysian partner. He arrives at Sepang after a Baku weekend that left him with mixed feelings: ten valuable championship points, but also a race driven with an approach that did not feel natural to him.
Kimi Antonelli wants no more recovery drives after Baku
Andrea Kimi Antonelli summed up his Azerbaijan race with a memorable comment on Sunday evening: “I drove like my grandmother.” A few days later, his assessment had not changed.
“I’m happy about the points we scored, but I didn’t like it. I didn’t feel like myself, it was a strange feeling being there so relaxed and calm. So, no more recovery races: I’ve already done enough of those at Monza and Baku, and now the objective is always to start at the front.”
It is a clear statement of intent. Recent weekends have been complicated mainly by difficult qualifying sessions and penalties that forced Antonelli to recover positions during races, requiring him to alter his usual approach. In Baku in particular, the priority quickly became damage limitation.
“The race could have gone much worse. I watched the restart again when the accident triggered by Franco Colapinto happened and I could easily have been involved. I still suffered floor damage, but I managed to finish in the points, and that was very positive.”
The result preserved valuable points in a season in which Antonelli has built a significant advantage in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, but Sepang represents an opportunity to return to a more aggressive approach from the front of the grid.
Mercedes Sepang upgrade could be worth three tenths
Mercedes will introduce an important upgrade package in Malaysia, giving Antonelli another major task during his first laps at Sepang. The Italian has never raced at the circuit and his experience of the layout is currently limited to simulator running.
“It’s a very beautiful track. FP1 will be important to understand how the package works. Then there will be all the basic setup work, for example where to position the car in terms of ride heights. We’ll see how much the balance changes: it will be a session where we’re searching a little and discovering the package.”
The indications coming from Mercedes’ engineers appear encouraging. The development arrives after Toto Wolff previously acknowledged that Mercedes still had untapped potential in its W17 upgrade programme.
Antonelli revealed that the projected performance gain is significant.
“It’s a package designed to improve the car across the board. I think it’s a good step forward, but the numbers always have to be verified on track. They told me three tenths, so it’s an important jump, but we have to remember that it’s the result of months of work.”
A three-tenths improvement would be far from insignificant at this stage of the season, when small performance differences can have a major influence on the championship battle. First, however, Mercedes must establish that the correlation between its simulations and the real car behaves as expected.
Sepang tyre degradation could bring McLaren back into contention
Sepang combines high-speed corners, demanding braking zones and, above all, a highly abrasive track surface. Tyre management is therefore expected to become one of the defining themes of the weekend.
“We’ll have to try the qualifying lap and I don’t think qualifying will be very easy, because the tyre won’t last long. Then we’ll obviously work on race pace: with such an abrasive surface there is a lot of information to verify,” Andrea Kimi Antonelli explained.
Those conditions could also bring McLaren back towards the front after its difficult weekend in Azerbaijan.
“They always perform very well on circuits with abrasive asphalt. We also saw that at Zandvoort and Budapest.”
The tyre picture will be particularly important because Sepang should represent a very different challenge from Baku, with the Pirelli compounds and abrasive Malaysian surface placing different demands on every team.
Antonelli also watching Red Bull after latest upgrades
Red Bull remains another uncertainty after showing improved competitiveness with its recent developments. Antonelli believes the characteristics of Baku naturally highlighted some of the car’s strengths, particularly under braking.
“Their car is very strong under braking, so I wasn’t surprised to see them competitive in Baku. We’ll see where they are this weekend; their upgrade will definitely help them.”
That makes Sepang another useful benchmark for Mercedes. The W17 will have to be assessed against both a McLaren expected to benefit from the abrasive surface and a Red Bull package that appears to have taken a step forward.
Mercedes recovers Antonelli’s Baku power unit
Andrea Kimi Antonelli will also be able to return to the power unit that suffered a problem during practice in Baku. After checks were completed at Mercedes’ Brixworth facility, the unit was recovered successfully and will be fitted to his car again for the Malaysian weekend.
The recovery avoids losing an engine from his available pool at an important stage of the championship and gives Mercedes another known component as it works to understand the new aerodynamic package.
Antonelli hopes Sepang rain adds another challenge
Another variable traditionally associated with Sepang is rain. Malaysia’s tropical weather has produced unpredictable conditions throughout the circuit’s Formula 1 history, and Antonelli would welcome the opportunity to experience the track in the wet.
“I’d like to do some laps in the wet. Maybe a race that starts with rain and then dries out in the second half.”
The possibility of changing conditions would add another element to an already demanding weekend in which Antonelli must learn the circuit, understand the W17 upgrades and manage a highly abrasive track surface.
Antonelli praises George Russell after dominant Baku weekend
Antonelli was not surprised by George Russell’s performance in Azerbaijan. He knows the level of his Mercedes team-mate and believes Baku was one of those weekends when driver and car immediately entered the ideal performance window.
“I know how strong George is and he has always gone very well in Baku. There are weekends when you find a special feeling, as I think happened in his case. I think I had a similar situation this year in Monaco: you get in the car and you’re immediately extremely fast.”
Antonelli now wants to rediscover precisely that sensation himself. After two weekends spent recovering positions rather than attacking from the front, Sepang should represent an opportunity to reset his approach.
Championship may still force Antonelli to compromise
Despite his determination to return to fighting aggressively at the front, Antonelli accepts that the championship situation may sometimes require a more conservative approach. The Italian’s remarkable 2026 campaign has already included a series of major results, including a Madrid victory that added to his growing collection of Formula 1 records.
As the season reaches its decisive phase, protecting points may occasionally have to take priority over outright aggression.
“If, with the World Championship in mind, there are races where we need to think about the points, I’ll do it. You do everything for a World Championship.”
Sepang, however, begins with a different objective: understand Mercedes’ potentially significant upgrade, master an unfamiliar circuit as quickly as possible and put Andrea Kimi Antonelli back in a position where he can look forwards rather than spend another race recovering lost ground.
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