George Russell has denied that Mercedes' upgrade package will offer a substantial burst in performance this weekend in Malaysia.
The W17 is being fitted with updates this weekend, marking just its second major enhancement of the 2026 campaign.
During the summer break, Mercedes technical director James Allison suggested Mercedes was finding "about half a second every two months" in the wind tunnel.
With Mercedes' last upgrade coming at the Canadian Grand Prix, that logic would suggest the Brackley-based squad could unleash up to one second in performance with its new parts.
When asked if it will be an upgrade to that scale, Russell told media including RacingNews365: "No. It's a good step, purely because it's been so long since we last brought an upgrade.
"So it's quite abnormal to have an upgrade back in May and then only again in October.
"As an individual upgrade step, it's large, but in a normal season, it's just sort of a normal trajectory that you would have expected from a May to an October upgrade package.
"I'm hoping it's going to propel us back to the front on these types of circuits, that have been more challenging for us in the past six races."
[Article continues below]
Russell asserts 'nothing fundamental” changing with Mercedes' car
Early spy shots from the Sepang paddock show modifications to the sidepods, with changes also made to the underbody and the rear of the car.
The full list of upgrades will be announced in the build-up to the first practice session on Friday.
Outlining what Mercedes targeted from the upgrade package, Russell said: "The characteristics are changing.
"Nothing fundamental, just an increase in downforce is the main part of the package.
"We're pretty slippery in the straight, so on a drag perspective, it's been important for us to keep that sort of low drag, it's definitely helped us at a number of circuits.
"But it's just a pretty conventional upgrade package."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding as they look back on the Azerbaijan GP but also look ahead to F1's return this weekend to Malaysia! Rumours linking Christian Horner with a return to the sport is a major talking point.
Most read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..
Join the conversation!