F1 / NEWS & CONTEXT

Lammers expects Mercedes to be the team to beat at Sepang

Jan Lammers thinks Sepang could suit Max Verstappen and Red Bull, but expects Mercedes to present the biggest obstacle to a win.

GPBeat · Newsroom30 Sept 2026, 08:57 · 1 min

Jan Lammers expects Mercedes to be the team to beat if Formula 1 returns to Sepang, making another Max Verstappen victory difficult if their rivals perform well. In an interview with RacingNews365 published on 30 September, he also suggested Ferrari and McLaren would be more competitive than they were in Baku, which he considers an unusual circuit.

Lammers nevertheless sees an opportunity for Red Bull. He thinks Sepang’s long, fast sections could suit both the team and Verstappen, although he said the outcome was difficult to predict.

Verstappen finished second behind George Russell in Baku after an engine problem disrupted his qualifying, RacingNews365 reported. Lammers pointed to a qualifying mistake by Antonelli as one reason he does not expect the competitive order there to carry over to the next race.

Sources 01

SOURCELammers voorspelt winstkansen Verstappen in Maleisië: "Eén ding dat we weten"RacingNews365 Nederland · Source date as found: 2026-09-30

Source context

RacingNews365’s 30 September interview discusses a return to Sepang but also labels the forthcoming event the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Claims and supporting evidence 6

RacingNews365 presents Lammers’s remarks as answers to its own question about Verstappen’s chances during a proposed return to Sepang. Only this publication was supplied; there is no independent media comparison.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Origin and attribution Interview published on 2026-09-30, ahead of the race discussed. The page does not establish Lammers’s professional role beyond identifying him by name.

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Lammers expects Mercedes to be the team to beat, while expressly acknowledging uncertainty. This is his forecast, not a measured result.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Forecast of the competitive order Forecast ahead of the race discussed in September 2026. The interview provides no independent performance measurement establishing Mercedes’s future advantage.

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Lammers says a Verstappen win would be difficult if the competitors perform well. He expects Ferrari and McLaren to contend under conditions he regards as more normal than those at Baku; he does not rule out a win.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Verstappen’s chances and rival teams Assessment after Baku and ahead of the race discussed. The projected form of Ferrari and McLaren is Lammers’s interpretation, not an established future result.

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Lammers nevertheless thinks the circuit’s substantial high-speed sections could suit Red Bull and Verstappen. He says the outcome there is difficult to predict.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Reasons for a possible Red Bull opportunity Pre-race assessment in September 2026. This is an assessment of potential suitability, not evidence that Red Bull will be fastest.

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RacingNews365 reports that Verstappen finished second behind George Russell at Baku after a qualifying engine problem. Lammers argues that rivals’ qualifying mistakes also affected that result and cautions against treating it as a reliable forecast for the next race.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Baku result and its interpretation Baku race immediately preceding the September 2026 interview. The race result is reported by the sole retrieved publication; Lammers’s account of why it happened is his interpretation, not an independently established causal finding.

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The retrieved page calls the forthcoming event the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and lists the 4 October race as the Bahrain Grand Prix, while its interview discusses a return to Sepang. The document does not resolve the official event name or venue.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Internal inconsistency in event identification Race listed for 2026-10-04 on the retrieved page. This is an inconsistency within one retrieved publication, not evidence establishing which designation is correct.

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This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.