The competitive balance shifted in Malaysia, although not necessarily in terms of the overall Formula 1 hierarchy, which always depends heavily on individual circuit characteristics. Instead, Sepang highlighted major differences in how well the leading cars were balanced. Max Verstappen’s victory and Lewis Hamilton’s podium were the direct consequence of a Red Bull and Ferrari that looked far more balanced than before, albeit for very different reasons. Mercedes, meanwhile, left the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang questioning the upgrade package introduced in Malaysia, even with Andrea Kimi Antonelli now within touching distance of the world title.
Red Bull upgrades transform the RB22
Max Verstappen’s first victory of the season came at the end of a chaotic race, but there was nothing fortunate about the Dutch champion’s success. Red Bull had looked convincing from the opening practice sessions in Malaysia, underlining the strength and consistency of its package.
The RB22 had already shown signs of progress in the preceding races, particularly through its straight-line performance, but too many weaknesses remained in terms of drivability. That makes Red Bull’s first victory of the year on a technically demanding circuit such as Sepang even more significant. With corners of virtually every type, the Malaysian venue made it difficult to find a balance capable of working across every section of the lap.
The upgrades introduced since Monza, and particularly those brought to Baku, have effectively transformed the RB22. Isack Hadjar said he found a very different car compared with the one he had driven before his injury. The developments have not simply increased downforce; they have also widened the car’s operating window and corrected its aerodynamic balance.
That improvement has increased driver confidence while also helping tyre management. With less sliding, the tyres are less prone to excessive overheating, allowing the drivers to exploit the car more consistently over a stint.
Crucially, the developments have not compromised the RB22’s straight-line speed. At Sepang, Red Bull continued to make a significant difference on the straights. The progress therefore gives even greater importance to the historic first victory for Red Bull Powertrains in its debut season, with Ford contributing in several areas including battery management, virtual simulation and additive-manufacturing production techniques.
Red Bull consequently became the fourth team and third power-unit manufacturer to win in 2026, easing concerns that Formula 1’s enormous regulatory revolution could lead to a prolonged monopoly by a single team. The shifting picture among the leading constructors can also be followed through the Ferrari vs F1 Rivals statistics.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli closes on title as Mercedes questions W17 upgrades
The other potentially historic development from the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia was Andrea Kimi Antonelli taking another major step towards securing the world championship. George Russell was once again let down by his power unit, with reliability continuing to represent Mercedes’ main weakness.
Mercedes must now determine whether the unit used by George Russell can be reused or whether an older power unit can be brought back into service. Otherwise, the British driver could face the prospect of a grid penalty in Singapore, one of the most difficult circuits on the calendar for overtaking.
Leaving George Russell’s misfortune aside, Andrea Kimi Antonelli was once again faster than his team-mate in Malaysia. Sepang’s long-radius corners and numerous combined-braking phases suited the Italian’s driving style, which involves attacking corner entry and rotating the car without relying excessively on the front tyres.
Even in Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s hands, however, Mercedes could not match Red Bull. It was predictable that the W17 would not dominate as it had at Baku, a circuit whose characteristics were particularly well suited to the car, but the Brackley team was still less competitive than expected. That represents an intriguing contrast with the dominance previously shown by the Mercedes W17.
The upgrade package introduced in Malaysia increased the car’s aerodynamic drag, meaning Mercedes was no longer dominant in a straight line. The team also had to deal with unusual W17 behaviour, with excessive understeer particularly evident in slower corners.
The tyres and the way Mercedes managed them on Sepang’s distinctive asphalt could have contributed, but there is also concern that the developments, while adding downforce, may have altered the car’s operating window and disturbed its overall balance. Andrea Kimi Antonelli raised the possibility of comparing the upgraded car with the previous specification. Even with both championships close, Mercedes needs answers in order to understand the best direction for its 2027 project.
Ferrari SF-26 comes alive in its Sepang operating window
Ferrari’s Sunday had initially threatened to become a nightmare. The Scuderia was among the teams that gambled on dry-weather tyres at the start, a decision made while the cars were stationary without precise knowledge of the track conditions. More difficult to understand was Ferrari’s decision not to reverse course and switch to Intermediates once it became increasingly clear that slicks were not suitable.
During the opening laps, Lewis Hamilton was losing more than 20 seconds per lap to the leaders, demonstrating that the crossover point to slick tyres was still some distance away. The Briton was even overtaken by Charles Leclerc, who produced lap times close to those of Max Verstappen once the Monegasque had switched to Intermediates. That was a particularly notable development for a Ferrari that has often struggled in wet conditions.
Ferrari’s performance at Sepang also supported some of the expectations surrounding the SF-26 before the weekend, when Pirelli’s Sepang compounds appeared capable of suiting the Ferrari better than Baku.
Two Safety Car periods then gave the Scuderia a chance to recover, and Ferrari took advantage effectively. Both drivers moved through traffic confidently, while Lewis Hamilton produced a pace similar to Andrea Kimi Antonelli despite running tyres almost ten laps older and already stressed by numerous overtaking moves.
Ferrari probably did not have enough performance to challenge Max Verstappen directly, but it is difficult not to wonder how the race might have developed had the asphalt not been around 20°C colder than on the previous days. Those cooler conditions significantly reduced tyre degradation, one of the factors that shaped how the race unfolded. The relative pace can be examined further through the F1 Race Pace & Lap Time Comparison.
Ferrari improvement encouraging, but not yet a breakthrough
None of this changes the fact that Ferrari operated inside its ideal performance window at Sepang, but it is still too early to describe the Malaysian weekend as a genuine turning point. Instead, the SF-26 encountered conditions that allowed several of its strongest characteristics to emerge: tyre management, downforce through high-speed corners and a precise front end.
The objective for Ferrari’s upcoming updates must therefore be to widen the car’s operating window so that these qualities can be exploited across a broader range of circuits and conditions. That task becomes even more important given the lack of a major performance step from the recent Mercedes and McLaren developments. The contrast is particularly interesting after Baku had raised questions over whether Ferrari had slipped to fourth in the competitive order.
McLaren struggles again as Racing Bulls and Aston Martin progress
After Baku, McLaren endured another weekend to forget in Malaysia. Driving and strategic errors contributed to a questionable overall execution, including the decision to use Hard tyres during a cool race with low degradation.
More broadly, the MCL40 again lacked competitiveness despite Sepang appearing, on paper, to be better suited to the characteristics of the car. That performance inevitably raises further questions about McLaren’s recent development programme.
On a Sunday when many teams made mistakes, Racing Bulls was again the strongest operation behind the leading teams and moved closer to fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Aston Martin also had reason to celebrate, returning to the points with Fernando Alonso.
The AMR26 still lacks performance in several areas, but the improvements in downforce, power and, above all, drivability are increasingly visible.
Wet-weather debut also exposes power-unit software problem
Finally, Sepang provided the first wet-weather running for the new generation of Formula 1 cars, although the conditions were never extreme and lasted for only a limited number of laps. Contrary to earlier concerns, no major performance or track-holding problems emerged.
Instead, a problem appeared in the power-unit control software, triggered by the low speeds during the formation lap together with the energy and power parameters used in wet-track conditions. FIA intervention was required to remove restrictions on recoverable energy in individual sectors.
The episode also raised the question of whether turbo management may have played a role. It will now be up to the FIA to provide the answers and identify a lasting solution. Red Bull, meanwhile, has already found solutions to many of its own problems, with the improvements to the RB22 ultimately returning Max Verstappen to the top step of the podium.
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