Mercedes introduce seven Sepang upgrades in first major package since May

The FIA have confirmed seven upgrades for the Silver Arrows upon F1's return to fan-favourite circuit in Sepang, with four of them targeting the W17's floor. Including reprofiled elements to the floor board, leading edge, corner and the body, Mercedes hope to improve performance both in terms of local load and flow conditioning.

Elsewhere, Mercedes have targeted local load in the W17's rear suspension and rear corner, including reprofiled suspension fairings and a change to the rear winglet span and position. Finally, rear bodywork sees reduced volume and an increased sideview ramp to improve flow.

Their last major upgrade came all the way back in May for the Canadian GP, with George Russell expressing his surprise this weekend at the frequency of updates from teams around them - McLaren and Red Bull, for instance, introduced upgrade packages last weekend in Baku.

"As a team, we have been surprised at the frequency of upgrades,” Russell told media including GPblog. “Our competitors have brought [them], and it’s no secret we’re struggling a bit with bringing the quantity of stuff, and the cost-cap limitations that we have to follow.”

Winner of the Azerbaijan GP, in what was an overall dominant display across the weekend, Russell admits Mercedes already have a strong baseline to perform, with the Briton confident the Brackley-based team can fight for wins every week.

As for the rest of the grid, upgrades have not been as heavy, with each of Mercedes' rivals McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari bringing one update to Sepang. McLaren bring a circuit-specific change to the engine cover, while Red Bull and Ferrari bring performance upgrades to the floor board and diffuser, respectively.

In the midfield, Racing Bulls have brought two upgrades - one circuit-specific to the front wing, another performance related to the rear - while Haas bring an updated rear impact structure geometry. The only other change on the grid in Sepang is an update to Alpine's front corner, a revised front drum cell targeting brake cooling. The other teams - Williams, Audi, Aston Martin and Cadillac do not bring any aero changes this weekend.