Charles Leclerc set the pace on the opening day of practice for the relocated Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit, edging out Isack Hadjar and Lando Norris during Friday’s afternoon session. The event, shifted to Malaysia due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East, kicked off in dry conditions despite morning rain radar warnings, though several front-running teams encountered unexpected hurdles.
Leclerc Tops Friday Practice as Ferrari Leads at Sepang
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc finished the second practice session at the top of the timesheets, establishing a narrow advantage over Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and McLaren’s Lando Norris. According to coverage from Sport, the afternoon session began under threatening skies with a 90 percent chance of rain forecasted by team radars, but the precipitation never arrived, leaving the asphalt dry for the duration of running.
Max Verstappen, who holds the distinction of being the last Formula 1 winner in Malaysia during the sport’s previous visit in 2017, set the pace during the morning Free Practice 1 session with Red Bull. However, Verstappen opted not to run the soft compound tires during the afternoon running, leaving questions over single-lap ultimate pace. Hadjar continued a strong run of form by outperforming Verstappen’s FP1 benchmark during the later session, mirroring his competitive speed previously seen in Azerbaijan.
Mercedes Struggles for Pace Following W17 Upgrades
Mercedes endured a difficult opening day at Sepang despite introducing a substantial upgrade package to the W17 chassis. The team brought seven distinct updates centered around the sidepods, floor, and rear assembly. Neither Andrea Kimi Antonelli nor George Russell found immediate performance gains from the new components.
Antonelli finished the day eighth fastest, sitting half a second off the leading pace, while teammate Russell managed seventh, four tenths adrift. The two Mercedes drivers currently sit separated by 66 points in the world drivers’ championship standings with eight grands prix remaining this season. Team personnel anticipate a rebound ahead of Saturday’s running.
Alonso Draws on Experience While Sainz Struggles
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso leveraged his prior knowledge of the Sepang circuit to place his Aston Martin in the mid-pack. Alonso finished 14th and 15th across the two practice sessions. Motor.es reported that the Spaniard found sufficient rhythm to target a Q2 appearance at a venue where he secured his first career pole position with Renault 23 seasons ago. Drivers noted that the layout proves less punishing on the Aston Martin chassis compared to the recent street circuit in Baku.
In contrast, Carlos Sainz experienced a difficult start with Williams. After securing a tenth-place points finish in Azerbaijan following recent team upgrades, Sainz ended Friday’s running in 17th position, trailing Leclerc’s benchmark by 2.4 seconds. Teammate Lance Stroll, alongside rookie Franco Colapinto, encountered a quiet opening day as drivers reacclimatized to the Malaysian circuit after a nine-year absence from the F1 calendar.
Late Yellow Flags Interrupt Otherwise Clean Sessions
Friday running proceeded largely without major incident, featuring no red flags and minimal yellow flag interventions. The only significant disruption occurred with under three minutes remaining in Free Practice 2 when Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto parked his car past turn nine due to a gearbox issue, prompting a Virtual Safety Car period. Earlier in the session, Bortoleto clipped the exterior curb at turn three with his floor while attempting to pass Arvid Lindblad.
Track action resumes on Saturday with Free Practice 3 scheduled for 06:30 local Spanish time (04:30 UTC), immediately preceding the sixteenth qualifying session of the 2026 season.
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