Max Verstappen set the fastest time in the opening practice session at Sepang, but the first hour of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend offered few reliable clues about the competitive order. A filthy track surface, extreme heat and an almost complete lack of grip disrupted setup work, while George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli both struggled with Mercedes’ heavily upgraded W17.
McLaren provided the clearest warning against reading too much into the classification. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finished only 11th and 12th respectively, yet the MCL40 appeared to have the strongest pace during the long-run simulations.
Max Verstappen fastest as Sepang track offers almost no grip
The dust covering the circuit almost made Sepang resemble Sakhir. Whenever the drivers attacked the kerbs, large clouds were thrown into the air, even though this was not desert sand. Formula 1 has returned to the Malaysian venue for the Bahrain Grand Prix, with the championship racing at Sepang for the first time since 2017.
The surface was not merely “green” but genuinely dirty, offering extremely low grip. With teams lacking recent data from the circuit, FP1 became largely an exploratory session as they tried to understand how their 2026 cars behaved rather than relying heavily on pre-event simulations.
Conditions were also demanding. Track temperature reached 56°C, with ambient temperature at 32°C and extremely high humidity. Despite that heat, drivers could still be seen weaving on their out-laps in an attempt to generate temperature in the front tyres.
At the end of an hour that offered limited guidance for the rest of the weekend, Max Verstappen emerged fastest for Red Bull with a 1:37.520.
The lap time itself was not especially representative. It was around seven seconds slower than the circuit record, while simulations suggested that a benchmark time around 1:32 could eventually be possible.
George Russell struggles on long runs with upgraded Mercedes W17
Max Verstappen ran exclusively on the soft tyre, the compound offering the most grip, and finished almost four tenths ahead of George Russell.
Mercedes introduced its new aerodynamic package on the W17 at Sepang. George Russell produced a respectable single-lap effort but encountered serious difficulties when attempting a long run, suggesting the upgraded car still requires considerable setup work to find the correct balance.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli had an even more complicated session. The championship leader finished only fifth, one second behind Max Verstappen, and also encountered trouble during his qualifying simulation.
The battery failed to release energy on the opening straight before deployment resumed later in the lap. Andrea Kimi Antonelli also spent significant time working on the rear-end setup.
Cars were sliding heavily across the circuit and overheating their rear tyres, making it difficult for drivers to complete the ideal racing lines. For the moment, Mercedes’ substantial update package appears to have disturbed the W17’s balance, placing increased emphasis on tyre management and setup optimisation.
Isack Hadjar third as Ferrari places both cars near the front
Isack Hadjar produced another strong performance to put the second Red Bull third with a 1:38.303. The French driver is set to receive a five-place grid penalty after taking his seventh power unit.
Charles Leclerc finished just over a tenth behind Isack Hadjar in fourth place for Ferrari, while Lewis Hamilton was sixth. Lewis Hamilton ended the session around one second behind Max Verstappen and approximately two tenths adrift of his Ferrari team-mate.
Ferrari therefore placed both cars around the struggling Andrea Kimi Antonelli, with Charles Leclerc ahead of the Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton behind it.
The unusually slippery Sepang conditions also placed a particular emphasis on tyre behaviour, an area that could prove important for Ferrari given how the Pirelli compounds selected for Sepang may suit the SF-26.
McLaren outside top 10 but fastest in long-run simulations
The most deceptive positions on the timesheet belonged to McLaren. Oscar Piastri finished 11th and Lando Norris 12th, both around 1.7 seconds off Max Verstappen’s benchmark.
That result should not be considered alarming. The MCL40s produced the strongest pace during their long runs, making it a serious mistake to draw firm conclusions from the FP1 classification alone.
Pierre Gasly enjoyed a positive opening session for Alpine in seventh place, ahead of the Racing Bulls pair of Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad. Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10 for Audi.
Franco Colapinto finished only 19th as Alpine continued the process of putting his A526 back in order following the damage sustained in Baku.
Honda ADUO2 shows signs of improvement with Fernando Alonso
Gabriel Bortoleto placed the second Audi 13th, just ahead of Fernando Alonso. The two-time world champion used his experience to put Aston Martin 14th, with the Honda power unit running the ADUO2 specification.
The revised engine appeared to have improved slightly in the way it delivered its power.
Haas finished 15th with Esteban Ocon, narrowly ahead of Oliver Bearman. Alexander Albon was 2.8 seconds behind Max Verstappen in a difficult session for Williams, while Carlos Sainz was even further back as he dealt with additional problems on the FW48.
Lance Stroll was also among the drivers struggling badly, finding the AMR26 extremely difficult to drive.
The two Cadillac cars completed the order, with Valtteri Bottas ahead of Sergio Perez. Valtteri Bottas was running the Ferrari power unit equipped with the ADUO2 specification.
With such extreme temperatures, heavy tyre sliding and a track surface expected to evolve significantly, the opening Sepang session offered more questions than definitive answers. Max Verstappen led the classification, Mercedes has significant balance work ahead, and McLaren’s long-run performance suggests the picture could change considerably as grip improves.
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