{"id":3212,"date":"2026-10-02T02:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T05:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=3212"},"modified":"2026-10-02T04:09:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T07:09:29","slug":"verstappen-beats-russell-in-bahrain-gp-fp1-as-f1-returns-to-sepang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/verstappen-beats-russell-in-bahrain-gp-fp1-as-f1-returns-to-sepang\/","title":{"rendered":"Verstappen beats Russell in Bahrain GP FP1 as F1 returns to Sepang"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Max Verstappen set a 1:37.520<\/strong>, beating George Russell by 0.383 seconds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Isack Hadjar finished third, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Heat and tyre degradation challenged the field; Gabriel Bortoleto placed 13th.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Max Verstappen topped the first <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/\">Formula 1<\/a> practice session at Sepang since 2017<\/strong>, beating George Russell by <strong>0.383 seconds<\/strong> on Friday, 2 October. The Red Bull driver recorded a <strong>1:37.520<\/strong> as the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia began in hot conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Isack Hadjar completed the top three, <strong>0.783 seconds behind his team-mate<\/strong>, with Charles Leclerc fourth. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished fifth, 1.060 seconds off Verstappen\u2019s benchmark, narrowly ahead of Lewis Hamilton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mercedes arrived with an upgraded car and a special Petronas livery, but Verstappen delivered the opening session\u2019s fastest lap. The Dutchman also won the last grand prix held at Sepang, nine years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Verstappen answers Russell as soft-tyre runs change the order<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Verstappen used soft tyres early in the session, while Russell initially ran on mediums. The Mercedes driver progressively reduced the gap as he became familiar with the Malaysian circuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis track is very cool,\u201d Russell said over the radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The order changed as more drivers switched to soft tyres. Hadjar moved into first place with a <strong>1:38.303<\/strong>, before Russell lowered the benchmark to <strong>1:37.903<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Verstappen then reclaimed the lead with his <strong>1:37.520<\/strong>. Neither Russell nor Hadjar improved sufficiently to displace him before the chequered flag, leaving Red Bull with two cars in the top three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Antonelli finished <strong>0.677 seconds behind Russell<\/strong>. Ferrari\u2019s drivers bracketed the championship leader, with Leclerc fourth and Hamilton sixth, just 0.010 seconds behind the Mercedes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Heat and tyre wear dominate the opening hour<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The return to Sepang immediately underlined the challenge posed by <strong>high temperatures and tyre degradation<\/strong>. Drivers also encountered limited grip as they built confidence on the circuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe tyre degradation is insane,\u201d Leclerc reported over the radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bortoleto highlighted the physical conditions inside the cockpit as he worked through his first practice session at Sepang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is the craziest I\u2019ve ever been in my life with temperatures,\u201d the Audi driver said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The final stages included further running on medium tyres as teams gathered information for longer stints. <strong>Managing tyre performance will be a central question for the remainder of the weekend<\/strong>, beyond the fastest laps recorded in FP1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">McLaren outside the top 10 as Bortoleto takes 13th<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pierre Gasly finished seventh for Alpine, ahead of Racing Bulls pair Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad. Nico H\u00fclkenberg completed the top 10 for Audi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finished 11th and 12th<\/strong>, respectively, both more than 1.7 seconds behind Verstappen. Bortoleto followed in 13th, with Fernando Alonso 14th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Esteban Ocon led Haas team-mate Oliver Bearman in 15th and 16th. Alex Albon finished 17th, followed by Lance Stroll, Franco Colapinto and Carlos Sainz. Cadillac drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio P\u00e9rez completed the classification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bahrain GP in Malaysia 2026: FP1 results<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Pos.<\/th><th>Driver<\/th><th>Team\/Engine<\/th><th>Time<\/th><th>Gap<\/th><th>Laps<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>1<\/td><td>M. VERSTAPPEN<\/td><td>Red Bull RBPT Ford<\/td><td>1:37.520<\/td><td>\u2014<\/td><td>23<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2<\/td><td>G. RUSSELL<\/td><td>Mercedes<\/td><td>1:37.903<\/td><td>+0.383<\/td><td>25<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>3<\/td><td>I. HADJAR<\/td><td>Red Bull RBPT Ford<\/td><td>1:38.303<\/td><td>+0.783<\/td><td>23<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>4<\/td><td>C. LECLERC<\/td><td>Ferrari<\/td><td>1:38.367<\/td><td>+0.847<\/td><td>25<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>5<\/td><td>K. ANTONELLI<\/td><td>Mercedes<\/td><td>1:38.580<\/td><td>+1.060<\/td><td>23<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>6<\/td><td>L. HAMILTON<\/td><td>Ferrari<\/td><td>1:38.590<\/td><td>+1.070<\/td><td>21<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>7<\/td><td>P. GASLY<\/td><td>Alpine Mercedes<\/td><td>1:38.715<\/td><td>+1.195<\/td><td>22<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>8<\/td><td>L. LAWSON<\/td><td>Racing Bulls RBPT Ford<\/td><td>1:39.106<\/td><td>+1.586<\/td><td>22<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>9<\/td><td>A. LINDBLAD<\/td><td>Racing Bulls RBPT Ford<\/td><td>1:39.197<\/td><td>+1.677<\/td><td>27<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>10<\/td><td>N. H\u00dcLKENBERG<\/td><td>Audi<\/td><td>1:39.211<\/td><td>+1.691<\/td><td>23<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>11<\/td><td>O. PIASTRI<\/td><td>McLaren Mercedes<\/td><td>1:39.276<\/td><td>+1.756<\/td><td>23<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>12<\/td><td>L. NORRIS<\/td><td>McLaren Mercedes<\/td><td>1:39.293<\/td><td>+1.773<\/td><td>21<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>13<\/td><td>G. BORTOLETO<\/td><td>Audi<\/td><td>1:39.548<\/td><td>+2.028<\/td><td>25<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>14<\/td><td>F. ALONSO<\/td><td>Aston Martin Honda<\/td><td>1:39.683<\/td><td>+2.163<\/td><td>22<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>15<\/td><td>E. OCON<\/td><td>Haas Ferrari<\/td><td>1:40.158<\/td><td>+2.638<\/td><td>23<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>16<\/td><td>O. BEARMAN<\/td><td>Haas Ferrari<\/td><td>1:40.311<\/td><td>+2.791<\/td><td>23<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>17<\/td><td>A. ALBON<\/td><td>Williams Mercedes<\/td><td>1:40.321<\/td><td>+2.801<\/td><td>22<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>18<\/td><td>L. STROLL<\/td><td>Aston Martin Honda<\/td><td>1:40.413<\/td><td>+2.893<\/td><td>19<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>19<\/td><td>F. COLAPINTO<\/td><td>Alpine Mercedes<\/td><td>1:40.531<\/td><td>+3.011<\/td><td>22<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>20<\/td><td>C. SAINZ<\/td><td>Williams Mercedes<\/td><td>1:40.605<\/td><td>+3.085<\/td><td>25<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>21<\/td><td>V. BOTTAS<\/td><td>Cadillac Ferrari<\/td><td>1:40.800<\/td><td>+3.280<\/td><td>23<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>22<\/td><td>S. P\u00c9REZ<\/td><td>Cadillac Ferrari<\/td><td>1:40.820<\/td><td>+3.300<\/td><td>24<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>FP2 begins at 16:00 local time on Friday<\/strong>, equivalent to <strong>09:00 BST, 04:00 EDT, 13:30 IST and 18:00 AEST<\/strong>. The <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/what-time-is-f1-practice-at-sepang-friday-fp1-and-fp2-schedule\/\">Friday practice schedule for Sepang<\/a> includes the local times for the main audience markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Formula 1 is racing this weekend, from 2\u20134 October, in Malaysia, which hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix. <strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> will cover all the action at Sepang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">F1 today: FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why did F1 cars lose power before the Bahrain GP in Malaysia?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FIA identified a combination of low engine speed, low grip, wet-weather energy management settings and Sepang\u2019s sector configuration. It distributed a software update before the race and announced a full review with teams and power unit manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can Kimi Antonelli win the F1 championship in Singapore?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. Antonelli leads George Russell by <strong>84 points<\/strong>, but even a Singapore Sprint and Grand Prix double would not secure the title. <strong>Austin on 25 October is his earliest possible opportunity<\/strong>, depending on his results and those of the remaining contenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When is the next F1 race, and is Singapore a Sprint weekend?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next race is the <strong>Singapore Grand Prix on 11 October<\/strong>, with track activity beginning on Friday, 9 October. It is a <strong>Sprint weekend<\/strong>: Sprint qualifying takes place on Friday, followed by the Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who was fastest in Bahrain GP FP1 in Malaysia?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Max Verstappen led FP1 with a <strong>1:37.520<\/strong>, finishing 0.383 seconds ahead of George Russell. Isack Hadjar was third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Red Bull leads opening practice in Malaysia, with Hadjar third, championship leader Antonelli fifth and McLaren outside the top 10.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020316563,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Max Verstappen","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Red Bull Content Pool","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[],"footnotes":"","42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[630,688,64,113],"42wp_author":[13],"class_list":["post-3212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","tag-bahrain-grand-prix-in-malaysia","tag-f1-practice-results","tag-max-verstappen","tag-sepang","42wp_author-luana-marino"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3212"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3213,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3212\/revisions\/3213"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020316563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3212"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=3212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}