Mercedes targets Malaysian GP for major upgrade to reignite qualifying pace

Mercedes has confirmed that its next major Formula 1 upgrade package will make its debut at the upcoming Malaysian Grand Prix, as the team looks to reignite its qualifying form and fight for pole position once again.

The Brackley-based squad remains in control of the 2026 championship, holding a comfortable 145-point lead over nearest rivals Ferrari. However, Mercedes has relied largely on minor, race-specific components since introducing its last major package in Montreal back in May. In contrast, title pursuers McLaren and Ferrari have pushed aggressive development programmes, closing the competitive deficit.

While the Silver Arrows dominated the opening phase of the campaign with six consecutive victories, the performance picture has tightened. Mercedes has claimed four victories across the last eight rounds, with Ferrari and McLaren claiming two wins apiece in that stretch.

Bridging the Gap Ahead of Malaysia

The German outfit aims to reassert its benchmark status when Malaysia makes its Formula 1 return on 2–4 October—replacing Bahrain on the calendar—following the race in Baku. Recently, Toto Wolff confirmed Mercedes already shifted to 2027 development ahead of this final package.

Speaking on the Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show podcast, Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin outlined the team's expectations for both Baku and the major upgrade planned thereafter.

“We haven't got much new coming to Baku, but actually that's a circuit that's more about drag than downforce,” Shovlin explained. “So the car was good in Monza, hopefully it will work well in Baku. But, you need a car that can have a good straight line speed. There's other things, though, you need in Baku, like the sort of street circuit nature, almost that Monaco-esque being able to deal with the low speed, keeping all the wheels on the ground.”

“And then the updates, well, they're going to come Malaysia onwards and hopefully we'll make a decent step. I don't think we're going to be out front by miles, but hopefully we'll be back into a position where we can really go into qualifying, knowing that we're fighting for pole.”

Chasing Saturday Form

Despite Kimi Antonelli securing back-to-back victories at Monza and Madrid, Mercedes has experienced a rare pole position drought. The team has not topped a Saturday qualifying session since Antonelli went fastest at Spa in July.

That four-race streak—featuring three poles for McLaren's Lando Norris—contrasts sharply with the start of 2026, when Mercedes swept the opening 10 pole positions.

“Early in the season, we tended to go thinking, we have a car that if we do a really good job, it should be on pole,” Shovlin added. “We should be fighting for a race win. Whereas now the margin between finishing first and finishing sixth is one or two tenths and it's difficult to predict because Monza is a unique track. It needs a car that's quite slippy with low drag and then new circuit like Madrid couldn't be more different. But we just focus on getting the most out of the car and if we win, awesome.”