Mercedes plans upgrades for Malaysia as Kimi Antonelli carries an 81-point championship lead into Formula 1’s next round in Azerbaijan.
Mercedes is readying another upgrade package for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with Kimi Antonelli holding an 81-point lead in the 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ championship. The new parts are aimed at ending the team’s pole-position drought and continuing the Silver Arrows’ technical development during a season they already lead decisively.
Antonelli has scored 292 points through 14 Grands Prix. Teammate George Russell is second with 211, while Mercedes tops the constructors’ standings on 503 points, 145 ahead of Ferrari and 197 clear of McLaren.
Antonelli controls the championship
The Italian has won eight of the first 14 races, taking victories in China, Japan, Miami, Canada, Monaco, Belgium, Italy and Spain. That run puts Mercedes in a commanding position ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 24 to 26.
Antonelli’s most recent victory came at the Spanish Grand Prix on September 13. He covered 57 laps in 1:34:23.754 and finished 4.351 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, with Lando Norris 5.089 seconds behind.
The win increased Antonelli’s margin over Russell and left third-placed Lewis Hamilton 101 points back. Hamilton has 191 points, Norris is on 186 and Charles Leclerc holds fifth with 167.
Verstappen sits sixth with 145 points, exactly 147 behind Antonelli.
Malaysia package targets qualifying weakness
Mercedes intends to bring upgrades to the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, set for October 2 to 4. Ending the current pole drought is the stated goal, despite its drivers holding the top two championship positions and the car winning 10 of the opening 14 Grands Prix.
Russell claimed the other two Mercedes wins, first at the Australian season opener on March 8 and then at the Austrian Grand Prix on June 28.
The upgrade is due one round after Baku.
Mercedes therefore has one more race with its current specification before the new components are scheduled to arrive. The Singapore Grand Prix follows Malaysia immediately from October 9 to 11, so the package will debut at the start of back-to-back race weekends.
Ferrari and McLaren lead the pursuit
Ferrari is the closest constructors’ challenger to Mercedes on 358 points. McLaren has 306, putting 52 points between the two teams before the championship reaches Azerbaijan.
Both teams have race wins this season. Hamilton secured Ferrari’s first at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on June 14, before Leclerc won at Silverstone on July 5. Norris delivered McLaren’s victories in Hungary on July 26 and the Netherlands on August 23.
Behind the Mercedes teammates, the drivers’ championship is much closer. Hamilton is five points ahead of Norris, while Leclerc trails Norris by 19. Verstappen is another 22 points behind Leclerc, and Oscar Piastri ranks seventh with 120.
Ferrari has also unveiled a special black race suit for Leclerc at the Singapore Grand Prix, which starts five days after the Malaysia weekend finishes.
Baku comes before the upgrade
Formula 1 heads to Azerbaijan for round 15 from September 24 to 26. Antonelli arrives with consecutive wins after victories in Italy on September 6 and Spain one week later.
At Monza, he beat Russell by 3.857 seconds, while third-placed Verstappen finished 14.718 seconds behind. Verstappen gained one position in Spain but remained 4.351 seconds adrift of the Mercedes driver.
Mercedes enters the Azerbaijan weekend chasing a third consecutive Antonelli victory before the planned Malaysia update. Russell is also working to reduce a gap shaped partly by Antonelli winning five of the first six rounds.
Russell opened the season with victory in Australia, then Antonelli won in China, Japan, Miami, Canada and Monaco. Hamilton ended that sequence at Barcelona-Catalunya before Russell took the Austrian Grand Prix.
The lower order tells a different story
Behind the top seven, Isack Hadjar holds eighth with 71 points. Liam Lawson is next on 59, and Pierre Gasly rounds out the top 10 with 41.
Arvid Lindblad occupies 11th on 31 points, four ahead of Franco Colapinto. Oliver Bearman has 18, Gabriel Bortoleto has 10 and Nico Hulkenberg has seven.
Williams teammates Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon have six and five points respectively. Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso are tied on three, with Yuki Tsunoda on one.
Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez remain without a point in 2026.
Nine rounds remain
Once Azerbaijan, Malaysia and Singapore are complete, the championship heads to the United States Grand Prix from October 23 to 25. Mexico runs from October 30 to November 1, followed by Brazil on November 6 to 8.
The closing run starts in Las Vegas from November 19 to 21. Qatar follows on November 27 to 29, with Abu Dhabi concluding the schedule on December 4 to 6.
Mercedes’ next confirmed technical update is set for Malaysia, but Antonelli and Russell first take their 81-point gap into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend on September 24.
