SEPANG, Malaysia -- After struggling for performance during Friday practice, Mercedes opted to run different aerodynamic packages on its two cars during qualifying at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
The team brought a significant aero upgrade to the front of its car for the Malaysian Grand Prix, only for both drivers to complain of a lack of grip during Friday practice. On Saturday morning Hamilton reverted to older parts while Bottas stuck with the upgrade in an attempt to offer a comparison and gain a better understanding of the problems ahead of qualifying.
With Hamilton setting a slower time in FP3 and no obvious difference in the data, Mercedes opted to stick with the split aero packages for qualifying to avoid an overhaul of each car's setup.