Bernie Collins saw something ‘ominous’ on Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes in the Sepang pit lane

Sky Sports F1 analyst Bernie Collins described Mercedes’ new upgrade package as "ominous" after inspecting Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s W17 car in the pit lane at Sepang. Mercedes accelerated their second major update of the 2026 season for round 16 in Malaysia, which is hosting the Bahrain Grand Prix. The team expects the revisions to yield an improvement of 0.3 seconds per lap across slow-to-medium speed corners.

Collins highlighted substantial redesigns across the car, including the front floor fences, entire floor body, sidepods, and rear suspension fairings. The updates aim to generate more efficient downforce by improving airflow toward the rear brake ducts and suspension, positioning Mercedes as a major threat heading into the weekend.