Mercedes endured significant difficulties during Friday practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finishing seventh and eighth respectively in second practice. The team brought their first major upgrade package since the Canadian Grand Prix in May, featuring changes to the floor edge, sidepods and rear diffuser, but failed to extract the expected performance gains.
Russell had looked competitive by finishing second in first practice, nearly four tenths behind Max Verstappen's benchmark time. However, both Mercedes drivers faded in the afternoon session after making crucial mistakes on their soft tire qualifying simulations, with Russell running wide at the final corner and Antonelli exceeding track limits.
The upgrade package represents Mercedes' move away from their undercut sidepod geometry toward a ramped profile that creates simultaneous inwash and downwash effects. Russell reported feeling additional downforce in high-speed corners, but tire overheating and degradation issues overshadowed any aerodynamic improvements at the demanding Malaysian venue.
Deputy team principal Bradley Lord described it as one of their toughest Fridays of the season, acknowledging the competitive picture looked more like Hungary than their recent strong form in Azerbaijan. The team faces particular concern over tire degradation levels that appear higher than competitors like Red Bull, potentially compromising their race prospects at Sepang.