Key Highlights Max Verstappen secured victory for Red Bull in an action-packed, rain-affected race at Sepang. The Dutchman captured his 49th career pole position and his first pole of the season after setting an impressive pace in Friday practice. Verstappen’s pole marked the very first time in 2026 that a car not powered by a ...
Key Highlights: George Russell suffered a late power unit failure at Sepang, dropping a virtually guaranteed podium finish and marking his third DNF of the season. The retirement expands Russellâs championship deficit to Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli to 84 points with seven races remaining. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff branded the race one of his ...
Key Highlights Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described the event as “one of my worst experiences” following a late-race power unit failure for George Russell. Both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell executed exceptional starts to run first and second after capitalizing on poor getaways by Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Russell was forced to retire ...
Key Highlights: The debate regarding Formula 1 driver cooling vests has resurfaced during the race weekend in Malaysia. George Russell advocated for an FIA budget cap allowance to develop cooling equipment, citing extreme cockpit heat. Max Verstappen rejected the proposal, maintaining that heat resilience is down to driver fitness and physical conditioning. The contentious debate ...
Key Highlights: Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secured third on the starting grid after initially believing he had qualified fourth, trailing polesitter Max Verstappen by five-tenths of a second. Antonelli gained the higher starting spot due to an engine-related grid penalty handed to Isack Hadjar, who exceeded allocations with his seventh internal combustion engine. The promotion ...
Key Highlights Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton share the front row of the grid for the first time since the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Formula 1 makes its competitive return to the Sepang circuit for the first time since the 2017 season. Key storylines to watch include Mercedes’ search for answers regarding car performance, ...
Key Highlights: George Russell qualified eighth in Sepang but will start the race from seventh on the grid due to a grid penalty for Isack Hadjar. Despite Mercedes introducing a significant upgrade package, Russell struggled for speed while teammate Kimi Antonelli qualified third behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen. Russell anticipates that extreme tyre degradation and multi-stop ...
Key Highlights: Kimi Antonelli secured a P3 starting position for the Grand Prix after an initial fourth-place qualifying effort was elevated by a grid penalty for Isack Hadjar. A Q2 track limits infraction forced the Mercedes driver to burn an extra set of new soft tyres, restricting him to just a single fresh run in ...
Key Highlights: Mercedes committed to an extensive aerodynamic and cooling overhaul on both W17 cars, preventing direct back-to-back testing against their previous specification. Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth and George Russell took eighth at Sepang, with both gaining one grid spot due to an engine penalty for Isack Hadjar. The team struggled with uncharacteristic understeer, excessive ...
Key Highlights: Mercedes faced unexpected qualifying struggles at Sepang despite introducing a substantial upgrade package for the W17. Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth and George Russell took eighth, though both gain a position due to Isack Hadjar’s grid penalty. Team principal Toto Wolff expressed deep concern over straight-line speed deficits to Max Verstappen and heavy low-speed ...
Key Highlights: The FIA declared a heat hazard for the relocated race weekend at Sepang in Malaysia, where track temperatures reached the low 60s Celsius. George Russell confirmed Mercedes chose not to develop a cockpit cooling vest system, prioritizing financial resources on car performance under the $215 million budget cap. Russell is urging the FIA ...
Key Highlights: Formula 1 has returned to Sepang International Circuit for the first time in nine years. Local supporters from ‘Team GR63, Malaysia’ presented Mercedes driver George Russell with a massive handmade scrapbook filled with fan messages, drawings, and photos. The emotional gesture gave Russell a morale boost amid Mercedes’ struggles with tyre degradation and ...