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Mercedes Unveils Petronas-Themed Livery for Malaysia Round
123Helmets Editorial Team
Mercedes has revealed a special one-off livery that flips its usual color scheme to honour title sponsor Petronas ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, which this year is being held in Malaysia.
Key Takeaways
Mercedes revealed a special livery for the W17 that inverts its usual color balance, making Petronas green the dominant tone instead of silver.
The design debuts at FP1 on Friday at Sepang, host of a race that will still be officially called the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The relocation to Malaysia is due to the ongoing Middle East conflict, but the Bahrain name is kept so Sakhir does not lose its calendar slot.
Mercedes currently leads the Constructors’ standings with a large margin over Ferrari, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the Drivers’ championship.
What changed in the design
Mercedes has inverted the color balance of its W17 livery, making Petronas green the primary color and pushing silver into a supporting role. The overall livery pattern on the car stays the same as the season-long design — only the color scheme has been swapped. Green, which has traditionally framed the car as an accent around the Mercedes silver, now takes center stage, while silver becomes the trim.
Where the green shows up most
The nose is the most visibly changed area, now running fully green from the tip back to the cockpit, on both the upper surface and the sidepod flanks. That expanse of green is broken only by two thin silver filaments that spread across the upper part of the sidepod inlets. The sidepod “gills,” usually finished in silver, are also now green, while silver returns as a ribbon that runs back toward the rear of the car.
Why Malaysia is hosting a race still called the Bahrain GP
The Bahrain Grand Prix is being staged in Malaysia this year because of the conflict that has been ongoing in the Middle East for months, forcing the event away from its usual home at Sakhir. Despite the change of venue to the Sepang International Circuit, organizers have kept the Bahrain Grand Prix name so that Sakhir does not lose the rights to its slot on the calendar. Petronas, Mercedes’ title sponsor, is headquartered in Malaysia, making Sepang a fitting stage for the tribute livery.
When fans will see it on track
The special livery makes its on-track debut with the first free practice session on Friday at Sepang. Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell will run the reworked W17 colors throughout the weekend, giving fans and photographers their first look at the design in competitive conditions after Mercedes released images of the car this morning.
The championship backdrop
Mercedes arrives at the Malaysia-hosted round with a commanding lead in the Constructors’ standings over closest challenger Ferrari, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the Drivers’ championship for the Mercedes team run by Toto Wolff out of Brackley. The dominant season has made this a high-profile moment for the team to showcase a tribute to Petronas, its long-standing title sponsor, on home ground.
FAQ
Q: Why is the Bahrain Grand Prix being held in Malaysia?
The race has moved to Sepang, Malaysia because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has affected the usual Bahrain venue at Sakhir.
Q: Why does the race keep the name ‘Bahrain Grand Prix’ if it’s held in Malaysia?
Organizers kept the Bahrain Grand Prix name so that Sakhir does not lose the rights to its slot on the F1 calendar.
Q: What exactly changed on the Mercedes livery for this race?
Mercedes inverted its usual color scheme, making Petronas green the dominant color instead of silver, with the biggest change visible on the fully green nose and sidepod gills, while silver becomes a supporting trim color.
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