Second Free Practice Report & Results 2026 Bahrain F1 Grand Prix

Leclerc Edges Hadjar as Red Bull Hides Its Hand

Charles Leclerc put Ferrari on top in second practice for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, edging Red Bull's Isack Hadjar by less than a tenth as Friday ended with the leading teams still difficult to separate.

Leclerc's 1m37.528s on the soft tyre beat Hadjar by just 0.099s, while Lando Norris moved McLaren firmly into contention by taking third. Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and Oscar Piastri sixth, but two major pieces of the puzzle were missing: both Mercedes drivers compromised their soft-tyre laps and FP1 pacesetter Max Verstappen never used the soft compound at all. Hadjar is Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate in 2026, having stepped up from Racing Bulls for this season.

That leaves the FP2 classification considerably less straightforward than it first appears. Ferrari has the headline time, but Red Bull arguably leaves Friday with the most intriguing unanswered question.

Leclerc Puts Ferrari on Top

Ferrari had already looked competitive in FP1, when Leclerc finished fourth and Hamilton sixth, but the Monegasque moved the Scuderia to the top once qualifying-style running began in the second session.

His 1m37.528s ultimately survived to the chequered flag, although Hadjar came within a tenth of taking P1 himself.

Leclerc also has a small historical advantage over many of today's drivers at Sepang. He participated in FP1 for Sauber when Formula 1 last visited the circuit in 2017, giving him at least some previous experience of the layout.

Hamilton's fifth place ensured both Ferraris ended the session near the front, although the seven-time champion appeared to be fighting rear instability during the earlier running.

Ferrari nevertheless ends Friday in a much stronger position than the opening session suggested.

Hadjar Keeps Red Bull Right in the Fight

Hadjar's second place was no isolated flash after he had already finished third in FP1.

The Frenchman again showed strong pace around Sepang and finished just 0.099s behind Leclerc, giving Red Bull another encouraging result even without a representative soft-tyre lap from Verstappen.

That changes the complexion of Red Bull's Friday considerably. One car topped FP1, while the other finished second in FP2.

Hadjar does have an important complication hanging over his weekend. He carries a five-place grid penalty for Sunday's race after taking a new internal combustion engine.

His speed remains significant nevertheless. Hadjar's performance suggests the RB22 is competitive in more than just Verstappen's hands around Sepang, while the Dutchman's true qualifying pace remains hidden.

McLaren Finally Shows Its Hand

McLaren was one of the biggest movers between Friday's two sessions.

After finishing only tenth and 11th in FP1 while comparing different rear wings, the team settled on a clearer direction for FP2. Norris switched to the rear-wing specification Piastri had used earlier in the day, and the timing screen immediately began to look healthier.

Norris finished third and Piastri sixth, putting both McLarens into a much more competitive position.

Norris also survived an awkward moment entering the pits when Sergio Perez slowed earlier than expected, forcing the McLaren driver to take avoiding action. No contact followed.

More importantly, FP2 provided the first clear indication that McLaren's lowly positions in the opening session were misleading.

Sepang's mixture of medium and high-speed corners represents a very different challenge from Baku, and McLaren now appears much closer to the fight at the front.

Verstappen's True Pace Remains Hidden

Verstappen remains perhaps the biggest unknown heading into Saturday.

The Red Bull driver had dominated FP1 by almost four tenths and again went fastest during the early medium-tyre running in FP2, producing a lap 0.235s quicker than Russell.

But when most of the field switched to soft tyres, Verstappen did not follow.

Instead, he remained on his original medium tyres and concentrated on longer running, eventually completing 20 laps on the compound. He was still in the garage when Gabriel Bortoleto's late stoppage triggered a Virtual Safety Car and effectively ended any opportunity for a late qualifying simulation.

It means Verstappen's final position says very little about Red Bull's genuine one-lap potential.

There were minor complications during the day. Red Bull lost around ten minutes of FP1 running while working around the rear of Verstappen's car, while in FP2 he was seen discussing discomfort around the cockpit with his engineer.

Even so, nothing seen on Friday suggests his FP1 pace should be discounted.

Indeed, Verstappen's 1m37.520s from FP1 remained the fastest lap of the entire day, beating Leclerc's FP2 benchmark by just 0.008s despite being set several hours earlier.

With Hadjar only 0.099s away from Leclerc on the soft tyre, Red Bull heads into Saturday with rather more potential than the FP2 classification alone reveals.

Mercedes Mistakes Distort the Order

Mercedes also has more pace than its final FP2 positions suggest.

Russell and Antonelli both failed to complete representative soft-tyre laps after making mistakes at the final corner.

Russell ran wide and abandoned his attempt, while Antonelli also exceeded the track limits and subsequently had his lap deleted.

Their performance on mediums was considerably more encouraging. Russell had earlier been second and Antonelli fourth before the soft-tyre qualifying simulations reshuffled the order.

Mercedes also received better news regarding the tyre degradation that caused concern during FP1. After further analysis, the team indicated that degradation was not as severe as initially feared, while Russell and Antonelli's set-ups began converging after Mercedes experimented with different directions earlier in the day.

With the team running its first major upgrade package since Canada, Saturday should provide a much clearer indication of whether the new floor, diffuser and bodywork have moved the car forward.

Nine Years On, Lap Times Remain Far Slower

The historical comparison again provides useful perspective on the pace around Sepang.

FP1 in 2017 was rain-affected, making that year's dry FP2 session the most meaningful Friday reference. Sebastian Vettel topped the session for Ferrari with a 1m31.261s, while Verstappen finished fourth on a 1m32.109s.

Leclerc's 2026 FP2 benchmark of 1m37.528s is therefore 6.267 seconds slower than Vettel's fastest Friday lap from nine years ago.

It is a striking difference, but not a direct measure of relative car performance. The technical regulations, tyres and track conditions are completely different, while run programmes can significantly distort practice comparisons.

For further perspective, Lewis Hamilton eventually took pole at Sepang in 2017 with a 1m30.076s.

There is clearly considerably more lap time to come this weekend as the circuit rubbers in and teams move towards qualifying specifications.

Rain Threatens but Sepang Stays Dry

For much of FP2, teams were racing not only each other but the weather radar.

The official chance of rain stood at 90 per cent, prompting virtually the entire field to head onto the circuit immediately when the pit lane opened.

Dark clouds gathered around Sepang and Mercedes even informed Russell that rain was expected rather than merely possible.

It never arrived.

The weather drifted around the circuit rather than across it, allowing teams to complete substantially more dry running than initially anticipated.

The threat still shaped the session. Several teams brought their qualifying simulations forward, creating a longer period towards the end for higher-fuel race runs.

With tyre degradation expected to play a major role on Sunday, that data may ultimately prove more valuable than another headline lap.

Bortoleto Stoppage Ends the Session

The final minutes were effectively lost when Gabriel Bortoleto stopped his Audi on circuit.

The Brazilian removed the steering wheel and climbed from the car, triggering yellow flags followed by a Virtual Safety Car.

Initial radio communication pointed towards a gearbox issue, although Bortoleto also appeared to lose hydraulics and the display on his steering wheel went dark. Audi had yet to establish the precise cause by the end of the session.

It followed an earlier wild moment when Bortoleto attempted an overtake, skated wide and bounced heavily across the kerbs and grass. He immediately asked the team to inspect the floor.

Audi will now need to determine the cause of the stoppage and whether there was any connection with that earlier excursion.

Four Teams Still Have Questions to Answer

Friday ended with Ferrari on top, but without producing a clear hierarchy for the rest of the weekend.

Leclerc has the FP2 headline and Ferrari has both cars near the front. McLaren made a substantial improvement after its FP1 aerodynamic work, while Mercedes never completed the clean soft-tyre laps required for a proper comparison.

Red Bull may be the most intriguing of all.

Hadjar finished just 0.099s behind Leclerc on the soft tyre, while Verstappen set the fastest time of the entire day in FP1 and never even mounted the soft compound in FP2.

After two practice sessions, the hierarchy remains unresolved. Ferrari has the headline time, Red Bull still has pace in reserve, McLaren has taken a clear step forward and Mercedes needs a clean qualifying simulation.

Sepang heads into Saturday with all four leading teams still having something left to prove.