Red Bull’s shock defeat of Mercedes explained

Mercedes thoroughly defeated, and Red Bull winning a race?! Just when we thought F1 2026 was about to be completely dead and buried, it goes and produces a total shock to the system. But why was the heavily upgraded Mercedes - the car that’s won 11 of the 16 grands prix held so far and could so easily have won at least three more - so ordinary on F1’s return to Malaysia? So ordinary that Mercedes could even ditch the update entirely if it continues to underperform! And how exactly did the Red Bull - basically F1’s 4th best car for most of 2026 - become so good that Max Verstappen could win for the first time this year?! 00:00 F1 2026 produces a shock 01:45 Red Bull’s unexpected pace 06:05 Mercedes’ upgrade backfires The Race Members' Club:   / membership   Website: http://the-race.com/ Twitter: @wearetherace Instagram: @wearetherace Facebook:   / wearetherace   Podcasts: http://the-race.com/podcasts #f1 #formula1 #formulaone #grandprix #f12026 #f1news #therace #malaysia #sepang #bahrain #bahraingp #mercedes #redbull #mclaren #ferrari #maxverstappen #georgerussell #kimiantonelli #lewishamilton #charlesleclerc