First Free Practice Report & Results 2026 Bahrain F1 Grand Prix

Verstappen Picks Up Where He Left Off at Sepang

Max Verstappen returned to the top of the Sepang timesheets nine years after winning Formula 1’s final Malaysian grand prix at the circuit, setting the pace in opening practice for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver clocked a 1m37.520s on the soft tyre to finish 0.383s ahead of George Russell, while Isack Hadjar produced an impressive lap to take third for Racing Bulls. Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari, championship leader Kimi Antonelli fifth and Lewis Hamilton sixth.

It was a revealing first hour back at Sepang. The circuit remained dusty, grip was lower than teams had expected and track temperatures climbed towards 60°C, leaving plenty of performance still to come as Formula 1 began rediscovering one of its great modern-era circuits.

Verstappen Straight Back on the Pace

Verstappen was the last Formula 1 driver to win at Sepang when he took victory here in 2017, and he quickly looked comfortable on his return.

The Dutchman initially moved to the top with a 1m39.400s before the racing line began to clean up and the soft-tyre runs arrived. Hadjar briefly went quickest, Russell then displaced him, before Verstappen produced the lap that would remain unbeaten.

His 1m37.520s put almost four tenths between himself and Russell and 0.783s between the Red Bull and Hadjar in third.

Red Bull’s session was not completely straightforward, however. The team appeared to be dealing with overheating and may need to revise its cooling configuration before FP2 as temperatures continue to test the cars and tyres.

Russell Starts Strongly With Mercedes Upgrade

Russell emerged as Verstappen’s closest challenger on an important Friday for Mercedes.

The team has introduced its first major upgrade package since Canada, including revised bodywork and sidepods together with changes to the floor, diffuser and rear suspension. FP1 was therefore about considerably more than chasing a headline lap time as Mercedes worked through its correlation programme.

Second place was nevertheless an encouraging start for Russell, who arrived at Sepang carrying momentum from his victory in Baku.

That result reduced Antonelli’s championship advantage to 66 points. It remains a sizeable gap, but another weekend in which Russell can beat his team-mate would keep some pressure on the Italian as the championship moves deeper into its decisive phase.

Antonelli finished fifth after setting a 1m38.580s, more than a second behind Verstappen as he also got to grips with the upgraded Mercedes.

The longer runs offered Mercedes slightly less encouragement. Its tyre degradation appeared heavier than that of some rivals, something that could become increasingly important on Sepang’s abrasive surface.

Hadjar Impresses as Ferrari Stays Close

Hadjar produced one of the eye-catching laps of the session to put Racing Bulls third.

Despite complaining about a lack of front grip, he briefly topped the order with a 1m38.303s before Russell and Verstappen found more pace on their soft-tyre runs.

Ferrari also made a solid start. Leclerc finished fourth and Hamilton sixth, placing both cars firmly among the leading runners without seriously threatening Verstappen’s benchmark.

Pierre Gasly showed flashes of pace for Alpine and moved into the leading midfield positions, while Nico Hülkenberg also featured inside the top ten.

McLaren Keeps Its Powder Dry

McLaren’s position on the timing screens deserves some caution.

Oscar Piastri ended the session tenth and Lando Norris 11th, separated by just 0.017s, but outright speed was not the only priority. McLaren ran different rear-wing specifications on its two cars as it compared aerodynamic configurations for the remainder of the weekend.

That leaves the team’s genuine position difficult to read from FP1 alone.

Sepang’s combination of medium and high-speed corners represents a very different challenge from Baku, and McLaren arrived expecting the layout to suit its car better. FP2 should provide a more meaningful indication once the team settles on its preferred specification.

Dust, Heat and Plenty of Lap Time Still to Come

The circuit itself provided much of the challenge.

Drivers repeatedly reported low grip, particularly once they moved away from the developing racing line, with clouds of dust appearing whenever anyone ventured onto the less-used parts of the track.

Mercedes confirmed that grip was below its pre-weekend expectations, while the surface continued to improve throughout the session as more rubber went down.

Track temperature eventually reached 57°C, adding another layer of difficulty to tyre management on Sepang’s abrasive asphalt.

Pirelli has brought its C2, C3 and C4 compounds, with degradation expected to play a major role this weekend. Teams are also working without recent Formula 1 race data from Sepang, making Friday’s running particularly valuable.

The lap times underline just how much performance may still be available.

FP1 in 2017 was affected by mixed conditions, making that afternoon’s dry FP2 session a more meaningful historical reference. Sebastian Vettel topped it for Ferrari with a 1m31.261s, while Verstappen was fourth on a 1m32.109s. Verstappen’s 2026 FP1 benchmark was therefore 6.259 seconds slower than Vettel’s 2017 FP2 best and 5.411 seconds slower than his own time from that session.

Lewis Hamilton eventually took pole in 2017 with a 1m30.076s, although comparisons across nine years, different technical regulations, tyres and track conditions inevitably come with major caveats.

What the numbers do show is how green the circuit remained during Friday’s opening hour. With more rubber going down and teams refining their cars, substantially faster times should follow.

Verstappen Sets the Early Benchmark

FP1 offered plenty of reasons not to read too much into the order. McLaren was conducting aerodynamic comparisons, Mercedes was evaluating a substantial upgrade package and the track was evolving almost lap by lap.

But Verstappen’s margin was still difficult to ignore.

Nine years after Formula 1 last raced at Sepang, the driver who won that final Malaysian Grand Prix returned to the circuit and immediately put his Red Bull back on top.

For everyone else, the chase has started again.