Mercedes admits Sepang upgrade has not delivered as Antonelli trails Verstappen's Red Bull

Mercedes has acknowledged that its significant upgrade for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia did not yield the anticipated lap-time improvement during Friday's testing. Engineering director Andrew Shovlin confirmed that the W17 was still trailing the competition, particularly Red Bull. This revelation starkly contrasts with the optimism prior to the weekend, when race leader Kimi Antolinelli claimed the team's engineers had stated the package provided approximately three-tenths of a second per lap on average.

The upgrade marks Mercedes' first substantial modification since the Canadian Grand Prix in May. It came into play with Antolinelli leading his teammate George Russell by 66 points, following Russell's victory in Azerbaijan. Shovlin stated that the upgrade failure had been evident during Friday's debrief, as both cars were struggling to achieve the desired lap time gains and faced challenges related to tyre overheating.

Shovlin believes rectifying the single-lap deficit should be more straightforward than addressing the overall pace issue. The team is more concerned about the race pace, as they appeared to be unusually off in terms of speed during long runs, presenting a more formidable challenge to resolve. Shovlin also mentioned that the headline times presented during testing may not be an accurate reflection of the car's performance.

Mercedes' performance in FP2 was particularly underwhelming, with both cars finishing seventh and eighth, nearly half a second behind the session leader, Charles Leclerc. Even though Russell had to abandon a lap due to heat issues and Antolinelli had a time deleted for track limits, simulations did not align with Mercedes' predictions. The discrepancy between theoretical gains and actual results on the track remains a concern.

Interestingly, Antolinelli had previously cautioned that the projected lap time gain needed to be substantiated on the track. He acknowledged that the projected improvement, three-tenths of a second per lap, represented a significant leap forward, but stressed the importance of validating it through actual racing conditions. This development complicates Mercedes' situation, especially as competitors like McLaren and Ferrari are also proving competitive under high fuel conditions.

With a 66-point lead, Antolinelli's advantage becomes even more challenging to maintain, as a car that struggles with tyre wear during extended runs while Red Bull's Verstappen continues to improve could significantly hamper Mercedes' chances of closing the gap. Despite the setback, Mercedes remains committed to the package, with Shovlin expressing confidence that the team will explore setup changes through overnight simulations to determine if the missing three-tenths of a second per lap can still be achieved.