Summary
- Hamilton questioned Ferrari’s response after he had already passed the pit entry when the Safety Car was deployed in Baku.
- Colapinto has a five-place grid penalty for the next race; Red Bull is still assessing whether Verstappen will need one.
- F1 returns to the track at Sepang on Friday 2 October.
Formula 1 has no session scheduled for Monday 28 September. After the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, attention has shifted to what happened in Baku and what those events mean for the next race at Sepang, from grid penalties to the demands of a hot and potentially wet weekend.
Hamilton questions Ferrari’s Safety Car response
A radio exchange between Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari has brought the team’s Baku strategy back into focus. Hamilton had just passed the pit entry when the Safety Car was deployed. He asked whether Ferrari had seen the incident developing and then discussed tyre choice and the positions he might lose by stopping.
Russell says his strongest form arrived late
George Russell’s Baku victory strengthened his case as a contender, but the Mercedes driver acknowledged the timing of his improvement. In his assessment of the 2026 title fight, Russell argued that his current form would have put him in a stronger position had he reached it earlier in the season.
Colapinto faces a five-place grid drop
Franco Colapinto will carry a five-place grid penalty into the Bahrain GP in Malaysia. His qualifying result at Sepang will therefore be only the starting point for calculating where the Alpine driver lines up on Sunday.
Lando Norris has also revisited the Baku incident involving Colapinto. The McLaren driver apologised and withdrew his call for a race ban.
Verstappen awaits Red Bull’s engine assessment
Max Verstappen’s starting position could also be affected, but no grid penalty has been decided. Red Bull is analysing his engine before determining whether a change that triggers a penalty will be necessary.
Cadillac investigates Bottas’s crash
Cadillac has opened an investigation into Valtteri Bottas’s late crash in Baku. The driver suspects a problem with the car’s systems, leaving the team with work to do before the next race weekend.
Sepang offers a different challenge
Aston Martin’s lack of speed in Baku has raised questions about its prospects at Sepang. The circuits place different demands on a car, but the scale of the team’s deficit makes its performance in Malaysia a significant test.
Conditions may complicate that test for the whole field. Rain risk and a heat index reaching 40°C are part of the early outlook for F1’s return to the Malaysian circuit.
Looking beyond this weekend, F1 and Pirelli are developing faster-wearing tyres for 2027. The work concerns how much tyre wear should influence race strategy under the new regulations.
F1 returns to the track on Friday 2 October at Sepang. The Bahrain GP in Malaysia will conclude with the race on Sunday 4 October, and GRANDE PRÊMIO will cover the weekend.
F1 today: FAQ
What time does F1 practice start at Sepang?
Friday practice begins on 2 October. FP1 starts at 05:30 BST in the UK, 10:00 IST in India and 14:30 AEST in Sydney and Melbourne. In New York and Toronto, it starts at 00:30 EDT; in Los Angeles and Vancouver, at 21:30 PDT on Thursday. FP2 begins three and a half hours later.
Is Esteban Ocon leaving Haas and retiring from F1?
Ocon will leave Haas at the end of 2026, but says he intends to remain in Formula 1. He has not announced retirement and would consider a reserve role while seeking another race seat.
What happened to Oscar Piastri at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?
Piastri was running near the front in Baku before a mistake during a Safety Car restart dropped him out of podium contention. He finished 14th, adding to a difficult 2026 season for the McLaren driver.
