Leclerc Tops Friday Practice at Sepang

Charles Leclerc set the fastest Friday time at the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026, topping second practice in 1:37.528 at the Sepang International Circuit on Friday, 2 October, ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar (+0.099s) and McLaren’s Lando Norris (+0.137s) (formula1.com). Max Verstappen had led first practice in 1:37.520, from George Russell and Hadjar; championship leader Kimi Antonelli was fifth in FP1 and eighth in FP2 as Mercedes finished seventh and eighth in the second hour (formula1.com; Autosport). Sepang last hosted Formula 1 in 2017; Bahrain still titles this one-off Round 16 weekend (2⁠–⁠4 October) after the April Bahrain date was cancelled over Middle East hostilities (formula1.com). Drivers’ standings into the weekend: Antonelli 302, Russell 236, Lewis Hamilton 199, Norris 186, Leclerc 179, Verstappen 163 (formula1.com; Independent). Free Practice 3 is Saturday 12:30 local Malaysia time (12:30 a.m. ET); qualifying is 16:00 local (4:00 a.m. ET). At press time Hamilton was under investigation for an alleged impeding incident with Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto in FP2 (formula1.com).

Free Practice 1 and 2 are the Friday running sessions that open a Formula 1 race weekend — timed laps for setup, tyre evaluation and track familiarisation before Saturday’s Free Practice 3 and qualifying, which sets the starting grid. Soft, medium and hard are the three dry tyre compounds; softs are typically fastest over one lap but wear quicker. An impeding investigation is a stewards’ review of whether a slower car obstructed a faster one on a flying lap; no penalty is decided until that review finishes (formula1.com).

FP1 ran dry and sunny from 12:30 local. Verstappen — the last driver to win in Malaysia, in 2017 — set 1:37.520, with Russell +0.383s and Hadjar +0.783s; Leclerc was fourth and Antonelli fifth (formula1.com). Russell radioed that the track was “very cool” as Mercedes ran an upgrade and a special PETRONAS tribute livery. Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad used softs early and is set to start from the back of the grid on Sunday after taking a fifth power unit this weekend. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Norris each ran a different rear wing after a difficult Azerbaijan race; they finished 11th and 12th in FP1 (formula1.com).

FP2 began at 16:00 local under darker skies and a 90 percent chance of rain. Most of the 22-car field queued out immediately, the majority on mediums while McLaren, Cadillac and Pierre Gasly started on softs. Verstappen set an early 1:37.785 before softs came on; Antonelli had a soft-tyre lap deleted for track limits and Russell aborted his flyer in the final sector (formula1.com). Leclerc’s 1:37.528 then sat unbeaten. Hadjar slotted into second, Norris third, Verstappen fourth — the Dutchman staying on mediums and skipping a late soft run while teams turned to long runs — and Hamilton fifth, +0.305s (formula1.com; Autosport).

A close moment between Bortoleto and Hamilton sparked an irate radio from the Audi driver after he had to take avoiding action around the slower Ferrari on the racing line; the stewards noted the incident, and Hamilton reported he could not “see through my right mirror.” At press time Hamilton remained under investigation for alleged impeding — no penalty has been announced. Yellow flags and a Virtual Safety Car came with two minutes left when Bortoleto stopped at the side of the track and stepped out (formula1.com).

Piastri, Russell, Antonelli, Liam Lawson and Gasly completed the FP2 top 10. The official title — Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia — is deliberate: Bahrain kept its commercial name and hosting fees after the April date was scrubbed, and Sepang returned to the calendar for the first time since 2017 (formula1.com). Standings are unchanged by practice. FP3 and qualifying follow Saturday morning and afternoon Malaysia time, with the Grand Prix on Sunday.