Friday’s Formula 1 action in Sepang saw Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc sharing the spotlight in the opening practice sessions for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Verstappen led FP1 with 1:37.520, while Leclerc answered in FP2 with 1:37.528, just 0.099 seconds ahead of Isack Hadjar.
More than the timing sheet, the long runs positioned Verstappen as the main reference for the race. By accounting for tire differences and the duration of the stints, the Red Bull driver appeared 0.19 seconds per lap ahead of George Russell and 0.32 seconds ahead of Leclerc. The high tire degradation also drew attention and could push teams to consider a two-stop strategy on Sunday.
Gabriel Bortoleto finished FP1 in 13th and moved up to 12th in FP2 in his first experience at Sepang. The Brazilian also had to stop the Audi in the final minutes of the second session, but later assessed the day positively and said the issue did not cost a meaningful amount of track time.
Bortoleto was also involved in one of the day’s tensest moments. During FP2, he found Lewis Hamilton moving slowly in front of him and had to divert to avoid a collision. The stewards ruled that the Ferrari driver was responsible for the obstruction, issued Hamilton a warning, and fined the team 10,000 euros.
Mercedes and McLaren ended the Friday with lingering questions. George Russell stated that tire overheating cut into part of the gains expected from the new Mercedes package, while McLaren acknowledged difficulties, though Norris and Piastri highlighted progress between the two sessions. With Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren still bunched together, FP3 and Saturday’s qualifying are set to further clarify Sepang’s pecking order.
