Andrea Kimi Antonelli believes Red Bull currently appears to have the advantage at Sepang on both single-lap pace and long runs after the opening day of practice in Malaysia. Mercedes completed its planned Friday programme and gathered extensive data on its latest W17 upgrade, but both Antonelli and George Russell acknowledged that high tyre degradation and overheating made the car difficult to optimise.
Mercedes faces demanding return to Sepang
As was the case for the rest of the field during the first two free practice sessions, the Sepang circuit provided a demanding challenge for Mercedes. Humid conditions and the characteristics of the asphalt contributed to high tyre degradation, making race-pace management particularly difficult.
Mercedes nevertheless ended FP1 in second place thanks to George Russell, although the British driver finished almost four tenths of a second behind session leader Max Verstappen.
Kimi Antonelli sees Red Bull ahead after Friday practice
Russell’s position slipped in FP2, although he still finished ahead of teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Making his first appearance at Sepang, the championship leader finished fifth in the opening session before ending FP2 in eighth place.
“We had a good first day on track here in Malaysia,” Andrea Kimi Antonelli explained. “The PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit is fantastic to drive! It is a fast and flowing track, really exceptional.”
“We managed to do a lot of running in both sessions and completed our entire programme. We collected a lot of data, which will be useful both for understanding the new upgrade we have brought here and for helping us make improvements throughout the rest of the weekend.”
Antonelli nevertheless admitted there is still significant work ahead for Mercedes after assessing the competitive order.
“There is still a lot of work to do, though. Red Bull look the fastest both over one lap and on race pace, with McLaren and Ferrari also competitive, particularly on higher fuel loads.”
“Track grip was quite poor today, but conditions will probably improve between Saturday and Sunday. We will work hard tonight to find improvements and we will give it everything in qualifying tomorrow afternoon.”
George Russell says tyre overheating masks part of Mercedes upgrade gain
George Russell was also making his first Formula 1 appearance at Sepang and highlighted the same tyre-related problems that affected several drivers during Friday practice.
“It was a really fantastic experience to drive here at the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit for the first time,” George Russell said. “I had never driven this track before and it is a pleasure to do so given how iconic the place is.”
“The support we have received as a team has also been exceptional, so thank you to all the fans who were here today and who will be here throughout the weekend.”
Russell explained that the combination of high temperatures, an aggressive track surface and Sepang’s layout caused significant tyre degradation, something Mercedes had anticipated before the weekend.
“The high temperatures, combined with the aggressive asphalt and the characteristics of the circuit, caused significant tyre degradation during practice. We expected that going into the weekend, but the severe tyre overheating ends up partly cancelling out the performance benefits from the additional downforce introduced with our upgrade.”
“The cars are operating in a fairly different window from usual and I don’t think we managed to find the ideal setup today. We will try to solve that overnight and hopefully, if we do, we can fight towards the front for the rest of the weekend.”
Mercedes therefore leaves Friday with useful data but still searching for the ideal balance. Antonelli sees Red Bull as the current benchmark, while Russell believes unlocking the W17’s upgraded aerodynamic package will depend heavily on bringing tyre temperatures and setup back into the right operating window.
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