Russell's retirement leaves him 84 points behind as Mercedes reviews Sepang reliability and pace

Antonelli finished second in the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, Malaysia, on October 4, but Russell retired during the late Safety Car. Their championship points gap widened to 84. Mercedes boss Wolff was also concerned about two areas falling short of expectations: race-winning pace after the upgrades and reliability that again cost the team a podium opportunity.

Intermediates secure the lead, but the switch to slicks leaves victory out of reach

According to the official Mercedes race report, both drivers started on intermediates and quickly moved into first and second. The Safety Car on lap nine allowed them to switch to medium slicks. Thereafter, the team found it lacked the speed to challenge Verstappen. Antonelli lost the lead after the restart and was also passed by Russell, before reclaiming second and holding it to the finish.

Russell said the medium stint was difficult and the softs felt significantly better. His race performance was also better than qualifying, but he never entered the fight for victory. Antonelli’s post-race assessment was consistent with that: second was the maximum available on the day. Their comments show that improvements in tyre feel during one phase still did not give the car race-winning pace.

Failure under the Safety Car: Wolff confirms a power-unit issue

Wolff confirmed to Sky Sports F1 that Russell had suffered a power-unit failure. He said the Safety Car was not its cause and the assessment had not yet been completed. The interview published on the F1 website did not identify the failed component. Wolff said Technical Director James Allison and the team had an action plan, with the power-unit department also working to find solutions.

This was Russell’s third non-finish of the season, but F1’s report on Antonelli further distinguished it as his second mechanical retirement, following Canada. Antonelli had also retired with a power-unit problem in Barcelona.

The drivers’ lead grows while the team’s advantage shrinks

After this round, the official F1 driver standings showed Antonelli on 320 points and Russell on 236. Mercedes took only Antonelli’s 18 points from the race, while Ferrari earned 27 for third and fourth. In the constructors’ standings, Mercedes led Ferrari by 556 points to 405, its advantage reduced to 151. Antonelli extended his personal lead while the team was being caught.

INKA SPORTS analysis: an expanding personal lead does not remove a team reliability weakness

Starting near the front and choosing the correct tyres first gave Mercedes track position. Once on slicks, its pace relative to Red Bull became the barrier to victory. Russell feeling better on softs and racing better than he qualified showed that some phases could improve, but did not change both drivers’ view that a win was out of reach. Second rewarded execution and the speed available; a podium alone cannot confirm the upgrades have solved the performance problem.

Mercedes holds first and second in the drivers’ championship. Russell’s retirement widened Antonelli’s lead over his team-mate, but that internal change could not offset the loss in the constructors’ championship. Ferrari finished both cars and still closed the gap. Antonelli limited the damage by keeping second, yet the team as a whole lost ground. Wolff’s concern therefore has a clear focus: reliability determines whether Mercedes can score with both cars consistently, rather than merely affecting the driver currently behind.

Conclusion

The positive Sepang experience to retain is that intermediate selection and race execution helped Mercedes gain and hold leading positions. The gaps remain its slick-tyre speed against Red Bull and its ability to bring a double-podium opportunity to the finish intact. A growing personal lead and shrinking team advantage occurred together, so 84 points cannot signify that the team’s problems have eased. Singapore offers different conditions. Improvement must still be assessed through both winning pace and two-car finishes, rather than declaring the upgrade or reliability issues solved from one result.

Points changes for the two Mercedes drivers