Mercedes puts team first as Antonelli and Russell reach Sepang

Mercedes arrived at Sepang in Malaysia on Friday, 2 October, with championship leader Kimi Antonelli and teammate George Russell separated by 66 points as Formula 1 returned to the circuit for the first time since 2017. The team has brought a major upgrade package, but its drivers were seventh and eighth in the second practice session. How the changes work across the weekend matters to a title fight in which Mercedes says both drivers will have an equal opportunity.

Antonelli has 302 points to Russell’s 236 in Formula 1’s drivers’ standings. The Guardian reported that eight rounds remained entering this weekend. Russell reduced the gap by 15 points at the previous round in Baku, where he won and Antonelli finished fifth after an error in qualifying. For Mercedes, the Sepang weekend is the next test of whether Russell can sustain that change in form while Antonelli protects his lead.

What Mercedes says about the Antonelli–Russell contest

Team principal Toto Wolff said Mercedes would continue to give both drivers an equal chance to pursue the championship. “We want to give both drivers equal opportunity and to go for a championship. But the team comes first. That has always been the Mercedes philosophy,” he said, according to the Guardian. His comments set out the team’s approach as the two drivers arrive at Sepang in first and second place in the standings.

The Guardian reported that Antonelli described Baku as his “worst” weekend and wanted to re-establish the order in Malaysia. Russell, meanwhile, said he had found a confidence and ease with the car that he had lacked earlier in the season. Their accounts explain why the previous result has sharpened attention on this race, although one weekend does not settle how either driver will perform at Sepang.

What Friday practice showed at Sepang

Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in Practice 2, a 1:37.528 for Ferrari. Isack Hadjar was second for Red Bull Racing, 0.099 seconds behind, and McLaren’s Lando Norris was third, 0.137 seconds off the pace. Russell finished seventh, 0.492 seconds behind Leclerc, with Antonelli eighth, 0.532 seconds back, according to the official Formula 1 results. Those are session classifications, not a measure of the teams’ eventual race order.

The Guardian reported that Mercedes was finding its search for the right setup and operating window difficult on Friday. It also said Max Verstappen described Red Bull’s start at Sepang as “positive” and a “decent start”. Verstappen was fourth in Practice 2, while the report noted that he had not set a time on a soft-tyre qualifying simulation. Those details leave room for the order to change when teams run their qualifying programmes.

Why Formula 1 is racing in Malaysia again

The weekend is officially called the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The Guardian reported that Sepang is a one-off replacement for the Bahrain race, which was cancelled earlier in 2026 because of the war in the Middle East. The name therefore belongs to Bahrain, while the competition takes place at Sepang. It is Formula 1’s first race at the Malaysian venue since 2017.

Formula 1’s event guide identifies the venue as Sepang International Circuit near Kuala Lumpur and lists a 5.543-kilometre lap, 56 racing laps and a 310.417-kilometre race distance. The guide describes long straights, heavy-braking areas and fast corners. It also notes the venue’s heat, humidity and potential for sudden tropical rain. Those characteristics give teams more than outright speed to manage during the weekend.

The Guardian reported that Sepang’s abrasive surface can produce substantial tyre degradation, making tyre management an important part of the race. It raised two or three pit stops as possible approaches, without establishing which strategy any team will use. Heat and humidity also make the circuit physically demanding for drivers. Mercedes must assess its upgrades and tyre behaviour in those conditions while its two championship contenders compete for points.

When qualifying and the race take place

The official event schedule lists qualifying for Saturday, 3 October, and the race for Sunday, 4 October. Qualifying will establish the starting order; Friday’s practice times alone cannot do that. The race will then show how Mercedes’ new parts perform over a full distance at Sepang and whether Russell can reduce Antonelli’s 66-point lead further. Until those sessions take place, the effect of the upgrades and the championship impact remain open.