Sepang nostalgia: Russell calls Malaysia track his childhood favourite, now racing it for real

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 driver George Russell says Sepang is his childhood favourite track. — Bernama pic

First Published: Wednesday, 30 Sep 2026 6:28 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One driver George Russell is taking the haze currently affecting Malaysia in his stride, saying the conditions will pose the same challenge to all drivers ahead of this weekend’s Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit.

The Briton said the hot and humid weather synonymous with Malaysia has always been part of the challenge of racing at Sepang, adding that the conditions could make the weekend even more exciting.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s the same for everybody, I guess, and there’s always the challenge of the heat and humidity in Malaysia. But, you know, that’s part of the excitement of racing here and part of the challenge. It’s the same for all,” he said during a press conference today.

Meanwhile, Russell said his first Formula One race at Sepang would not be entirely unfamiliar territory, revealing that the circuit was his favourite track growing up and one he regularly raced on virtually through PlayStation.

Russell is now hoping those childhood experiences behind the controller will prove useful when he finally takes on the iconic circuit for real.

“Well, I think, you know, this is our first time racing here in Sepang, and it was actually my favourite circuit as a kid when I used to drive on the PlayStation. So I’m really looking forward to coming back and hopefully those experiences on the controller will help me go a bit faster this weekend,” he said.

Meanwhile, Russell’s teammate Kimi Antonelli expects tyre management to be among the biggest challenges at Sepang, with the circuit’s ageing and abrasive surface likely to contribute to high tyre degradation.

The Italian said Malaysia’s unpredictable weather could further complicate the race weekend, particularly with rain forecast.

“Energy-wise, it’s not going to be too bad, but definitely on tyres, it’s going to be a big challenge. The tarmac is very old, it’s very aggressive on tyres, so it’s going to be interesting to see, but definitely it’s going to be very high degradation.

“And weather-wise, it’s going to be unpredictable for sure. There’s some rain on the radar, but it was meant to rain also in the past two days and it hasn’t rained, so we’re going to see,” he said.

Antonelli said the possibility of heavy rain could provide an additional test for the drivers, particularly as they have limited experience driving the current cars in wet conditions.

“From what I’ve heard, when it rains here, it’s quite heavy, so we’ll try to be ready for anything. It will also be the first time we’ll be on track with the wet tyres, so if that happens, it’s going to be a big challenge for everyone because all of us have so little experience in the wet with these cars,” he said. — Bernama