Technical updates: 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia

Mercedes is the only team with a significant update package as it finally brings new developments to its car at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

A comfortable lead in the constructors’ championship has allowed Mercedes slightly more breathing room when it comes to introducing new parts, having stated it invested heavily in its launch car this season. At Sepang, a large package of components is being added, with the floor a particular area of focus.

An entire new floor consists of the floor body – featuring a reprofiled diffuser roof, sidewall and winglet – as well as the floor boards, leading edge and additional slots and revised elements of the floor corner. There are also updated suspension fairings that work in conjunction with a new rear corner, and tweaks to the rear bodywork to increase local aerodynamic load.

All of the Mercedes submissions relate to performance gains. McLaren has a high cooling engine cover that is a circuit-specific update for the conditions in Malaysia. Similarly, Alpine has updated front drum exits designed to withstand the brake cooling demands of upcoming venues.

There are minor revisions at Red Bull, with new floor board geometry, while Ferrari introduces an update to its diffuser’s winglet cascade that provides “favorable additional downforce across the entire car operating envelope.”

Racing Bulls has a new front flap on its front wing for additional aerodynamic balance options and has updated the design of its rear wing support components to operate more efficiently. Finally, at Haas, there is an update to the rear impact structure geometry with the goal of being able to tune the car’s performance characteristics more accurately in Sepang.

There are no updates submitted by Williams, Aston Martin, Audi or Cadillac.