Mercedes just dealt George Russell a bigger ‘drop off’ blow than Max Verstappen’s pace at Sepang

Mercedes driver George Russell finished second behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen during Practice 1 in Sepang, trailing the four-time world champion by 0.383 seconds. However, Russell's primary concern shifted toward severe tire degradation in the Malaysian heat rather than just single-lap deficit. Toward the end of the session, Russell questioned his team over team radio regarding tire wear compared to the rest of the field.

Mercedes engineer Marcus Dudley confirmed that the team was an outlier regarding high tire drop-off during the session. Teammate Kimi Antonelli finished over a second behind Verstappen as Mercedes struggled with tire performance. The article notes that unless Mercedes resolves the issue, Russell will face a difficult weekend and may rely on rain to neutralize Red Bull's pace advantage.