Mercedes has confirmed that its next major Formula 1 upgrade package will arrive at the upcoming Malaysian Grand Prix on 2-4 October. The Silver Arrows hope the new parts will propel them back into pole position contention after a four-race drought.
Despite leading the 2026 championship by 145 points over Ferrari, Mercedes has not secured a pole since Kimi Antonelli topped qualifying at Spa in July. McLaren’s Lando Norris has taken three poles in that span, with Ferrari grabbing the other. This is a stark contrast to the season’s start, where Mercedes claimed all 10 opening poles.
Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin revealed that the team opted for minor race-specific updates while rivals Ferrari and McLaren pushed aggressive development. "We haven't got much new coming to Baku, but that's a circuit more about drag than downforce," Shovlin said on the Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show podcast. "The car was good in Monza, hopefully it will work well in Baku. But you need a car with good straight-line speed."
Shovlin added that Baku’s street-circuit nature demands low-speed agility, similar to Monaco. "There are other things you need in Baku, like the street circuit nature, almost Monaco-esque, being able to deal with low speed, keeping all wheels on the ground," he explained. "Then the updates will come from Malaysia onwards and hopefully we'll make a decent step. I don't think we'll be out front by miles, but hopefully we'll be back in a position where we can really fight for pole."
Mercedes has won the last two races in Monza and Madrid with Kimi Antonelli, but their qualifying pace has lagged. The margin between first and sixth is now just one or two tenths. "Early in the season, we tended to think that if we did a really good job, the car should be on pole. Now the margin between finishing first and sixth is one or two tenths and it's difficult to predict," Shovlin added.
With Malaysia returning to the F1 calendar in place of Bahrain, Mercedes hopes the upgrade package will provide enough performance to challenge at the front. The German team still holds a large points advantage, but they are aware that their early-season dominance is being eroded by improving rivals.
If the Malaysia upgrade works, Mercedes could reassert their dominance for the rest of the season. If not, the title fight could become even more open. Either way, fans should look forward to whether the Silver Arrows can end their pole drought in Sepang.
Baca Juga
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David Coulthard sebut Kimi Antonelli fenomena, bukan keberuntungan. Pebalap Mercedes itu memimpin klasemen F1 dengan 8 kemenangan musim ini.
James Vowles akui Williams kompromi pengembangan F1 2026 dan alihkan fokus ke musim 2027. Simak alasan dan dampaknya bagi tim.
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