Formula 1 Rumor: Mercedes sandbagging massively in Malaysia

Mercedes brought a significant upgrade package to the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, featuring seven changes to the W17 covering the floor, rear suspension, sidepods, bargeboards, and diffuser, expected to deliver around 0.3 seconds per lap improvement. Despite the upgrades, Mercedes did not top either Friday practice session, with Max Verstappen leading FP1 in 1:37.520 and Charles Leclerc topping FP2 in 1:37.528, while George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished no higher than seventh and eighth. Team sources and drivers suggested the pace gain was real but masked by tyre degradation on Sepang's hot, abrasive surface, with neither Mercedes driver completing a clean soft-tyre lap in FP2.