Mercedes is upping the ante with major upgrades in Malaysia.
You think Mercedes would feel complacent after winning the last three races? You, and apparently, we, thought wrong. The championship leaders are bringing the heat to Sepang, both from the aesthetics and performance standpoint.
Mercedes delivers a significant upgrade package to Sepang
After opting not to bring an upgrade to Baku and still winning the race, Mercedes is upping the ante with a major upgrade at Sepang. Team principal Toto Wolff confirmed that they are indeed bringing an update package to the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. He mentioned that they hve struggled in the "more conventional tracks", so they're hoping that the upgrades will help them fight for the victory at the Sepang International Circuit.
Mercedes pays tribute to title sponsor with a new livery
Along with their performance upgrades, Mercedes is also bringing a different look to the aesthetics of their car. The W17 will be fitted with a lot more teal accent to pay tribute to Petronas, their long-time title sponsor. Petronas is a Malaysia state-owned multinational energy and petroleum corporation that has been in partnership with Mercedes F1 since 2010.
Heat Hazard declared at Sepang
Very tricky weather conditions await F1 teams and drivers in their return to Malaysia. After the forecasts of isolated thunderstorms and rain throughout the weekend, it now seems that drivers will also race under hot and humid conditions. The FIA has declared a Heat Hazard rule for the race, a precaution that the sport takes when the heat index is predicted to go beyond 31°C during the race.
As such, drivers will have the option to wear a cooling vest during the race. If they don't want to wear the vest, the cooling system components will be fitted to their car, along with an additional 0.5 kg of ballast to compensate for the weight difference.
Sepang is new to more than half of the grid
The Sepang International Circuit is a historic track that most F1 drivers love, but we haven't raced here since Max Verstappen last won in 2017. Moreover, only 10 of the 22 drivers on the current grid have previously raced at Sepang. Since we're in the first year of the new regulations, the current generation of cars also has no exact historical data from Sepang.
It will be a relatively new experience for most of the people on the grid, paving the way for an exciting but unpredictable race on Sunday.
When will Verstappen take his engine penalty?
After encountering issues in his internal combustion engine (ICE) during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Max Verstappen hinted that he might be taking an engine penalty at some point in the season. It turned out that during the Saturday race at Baku, Red Bull changed or swapped several components of Verstappen's power unit.
Team principal Laurent Mekies emphasized that the team is still unsure whether Verstappen needs to take an engine penalty. But if he does, it looks like it won't be at Sepang.
