Max Verstappen topped opening practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, clocking 1 m 37.520 s, a 0.383‑s margin over Mercedes’ George Russell and 0.817‑s ahead of teammate Isack Hadjar.
Remote venue gives teams a new challenge
The sprint‑practice session, the first time F1 visited Sakhir’s Sepang circuit in nine years, was marked by hot, humid conditions that pushed driver comfort and rubber‑track grip to the limits.
Tyre selection steers early pace
Teams launched with softs, though the majority used mid‑compound during the initial 30 minutes. Russell set a 1 m 38.932 s lap on softs, eclipsing Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by 0.522 s, while Verstappen spun the same tyre to 1 m 38.883 s, shaving 0.049 s off Russell.
Mixed performances in later stages
Isack Hadjar’s lap of 1 m 38.303 s was compromised by Singapore‑style low grip, especially understeer at the hairpin. The warmer weather was felt by Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, who posted a 2 m 31.631 s first‑half, the steepest gap to the front of the grid.
Closing laps tighten the order
As the brief session closed, soft‑compound users climbed back on track. Leclerc and Hamilton recorded 1 m 37.920 s and 1 m 38.590 s respectively, while Antonelli finished fifth in 1 m 38.580 s. The final top three remained Verstappen, Russell, and Hadjar, with Leclerc fourth and Gasly seventh for Alpine.
McLaren’s duo, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, joined Nico Hülkenberg in the top ten, finishing 11th and 12th, while Oscar Piastri trailed Norris by 1 m 0.756 s.
"