Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc shared the top spots in Friday’s practice sessions for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang. The Red Bull driver set the pace in FP1, while Ferrari’s Leclerc was fastest in FP2.
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Verstappen leads FP1
In extremely hot conditions, Max Verstappen topped the opening practice session with a 1:37.520 lap. The Red Bull driver was nearly four tenths of a second faster than George Russell.
Isack Hadjar impressed in third, ahead of Charles Leclerc. Kimi Antonelli finished sixth, followed by Lewis Hamilton, while Pierre Gasly took eighth. McLaren made a quiet start to the weekend, with Oscar Piastri 11th and Lando Norris 12th.
Leclerc fastest in FP2
Charles Leclerc responded by topping FP2 with a 1:37.528 for Ferrari. He finished just 0.099 seconds ahead of Isack Hadjar, while Lando Norris was third.
Max Verstappen ended the session fourth, but notably did not use the soft tyres during FP2. Lewis Hamilton was fifth, ahead of Oscar Piastri. Mercedes had a relatively quiet session, with George Russell seventh and Kimi Antonelli eighth.
McLaren and Williams still searching for pace
McLaren showed improved pace in FP2, with Norris moving into the top three, while Williams struggled throughout the session. Carlos Sainz finished 17th and Alex Albon was 20th.
Audi also encountered trouble as Gabriel Bortoleto stopped on track shortly before the end of FP2, with the Brazilian suspecting a gearbox issue.
With Verstappen and Leclerc each taking one practice-session victory, the battle remains wide open heading into qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The full results of the Free Practices according to FIA.com:
