en.malanginspirasi.com – Max Verstappen kicked off the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia by posting the fastest time during the weekend’s opening practice session.
The Red Bull driver led the pack at the Sepang International Circuit, finishing ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and his own teammate, Isack Hadjar.
With Sepang absent from the F1 calendar since 2017, Friday’s initial hour of practice served as a crucial reintroduction to the track for much of the grid.
As the session began at 12:30 PM local time, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto was the first to hit the circuit.
While most drivers opted for medium tires for their initial runs, Colapinto and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad were among the few to equip the soft compound early on.
Lindblad already faces an uphill battle this weekend; the team confirmed he is taking a fifth power unit, which will likely result in a back-of-the-grid penalty on Sunday.
Verstappen—who actually won the last Malaysian Grand Prix in 2017—wasted no time getting comfortable, claiming the top spot on the timesheets just 15 minutes into the session.
George Russell also quickly adapted to the circuit, telling his team over the radio that the track was “very cool.”
Mercedes arrived in Malaysia sporting upgraded parts and a special livery honoring their title sponsor, PETRONAS.
Meanwhile, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto highlighted the intense Southeast Asian climate, noting the extreme heat and humidity.
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Around the halfway mark, the leaderboard began to shuffle as the field switched to soft tires.
Hadjar briefly claimed the fastest lap before being edged out by Russell.
Ultimately, Verstappen unleashed a blistering 1:37.520 lap, eclipsing Russell’s best effort by nearly four-tenths of a second.
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli pushed hard on the medium tires late in the session—surviving a wide excursion off the track—to finish fifth.
He was sandwiched between the two Ferraris, with Charles Leclerc taking fourth and Lewis Hamilton securing sixth.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly laid down an impressive purple first sector to grab seventh place, while Liam Lawson, Lindblad, and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten.
Further down the order, McLaren had a quiet session, using it to test different rear-wing configurations following a tough outing in Azerbaijan.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finished 11th and 12th, respectively.
They were followed by Bortoleto, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, and the Haas duo of Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman. Alex Albon, Lance Stroll, Colapinto, Carlos Sainz, and the Cadillac pair of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez filled out the bottom of the timesheets.
Teams will now analyze their initial data as they prepare to hit the track again for Free Practice 2 later in the afternoon.
