)
The last winner of the Malaysian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen, set the pace as Formula 1 returned to Sepang, topping the timesheets at the end of the opening practice session ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Drivers were greeted by a very dirty and abrasive track surface on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, offering minimal grip in the early stages. While track evolution brought improvements, tyre degradation remained extremely high, effectively leaving drivers with just a single flying lap per set before their performance dropped off sharply.
Verstappen ran two sets of soft tyres, clocking a benchmark time of 1:37.520 on his second run. That put him 0.383 seconds clear of George Russell, with Red Bull stablemate Isack Hadjar rounding out the top three, 0.783 seconds adrift. Charles Leclerc followed in fourth, 0.847 seconds off the pace, while championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli had to settle for fifth, 1.060 seconds behind Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton claimed sixth ahead of Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad, and Nico Hülkenberg, who rounded out the top 10. McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris just missed out on the top ten, finishing 1.756 and 1.773 seconds behind Verstappen respectively. Every driver on the grid set their fastest time of the opening one-hour session on Pirelli's soft tyres.
The Bahrain Grand Prix weekend—round 16 of the 2026 Formula 1 season—continues with Free Practice 2 at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.
&format=webp)
,fit(112:112)&format=webp)
&format=webp)
,fit(112:112)&format=webp)
&format=webp)
,fit(112:112)&format=webp)