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- Verstappen recorded Friday\u2019s fastest lap, although Leclerc led FP2.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Mercedes finished seventh and eighth in the afternoon as Sepang complicated tyre preparation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Hamilton escaped a grid penalty following his incident with Gabriel Bortoleto.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Max Verstappen finished Friday fastest on Formula 1\u2019s return to Sepang<\/strong>, but Charles Leclerc\u2019s FP2 performance and difficult tyre conditions left the competitive order unresolved. Mercedes also faced questions after its major upgrade debuted without either driver reaching the afternoon\u2019s top five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Away from the timing sheets, Lewis Hamilton avoided a grid penalty following his incident with Gabriel Bortoleto, while Ferrari received a fine. These are the main developments from Friday, 2 October, in Formula 1<\/a>, ahead of qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verstappen leads Friday \u2014 Leclerc tops FP2<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Verstappen\u2019s 1:37.520 in FP1 remained the quickest lap of the day<\/strong>. Leclerc subsequently led FP2 with 1:37.528, just 0.008s slower than the morning benchmark, ahead of Isack Hadjar and Lando Norris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That narrow difference links two sessions with different conditions and programmes. It does not establish a qualifying order, particularly because Verstappen completed his afternoon running without switching to soft tyres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Readers can compare the sessions in the full combined Friday practice results<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"F1](\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-treinos-livres-red-bull-max-verstappen-0-1024x683.jpg\")
Max Verstappen (Photo: Red Bull Content Pool)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Verstappen\u2019s tyre programme complicates comparisons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Red Bull driver finished fourth in FP2, behind three competitors who recorded their best laps on soft tyres. His medium-tyre programme makes that position an incomplete measure of his outright speed.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verstappen acknowledged the difficulty of judging progress between sessions because the afternoon was hotter and Red Bull followed a different programme. The team\u2019s work therefore offered information about tyre behaviour while leaving questions over its qualifying potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The explanation of why Verstappen skipped soft tyres in FP2<\/a> sets out the distinction between his session position and his fastest overall Friday lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sepang\u2019s asphalt becomes a central challenge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Grip and degradation are shaping the weekend as much as the upgrades brought by individual teams.<\/strong> Sepang\u2019s abrasive surface, dust and high temperatures complicated the drivers\u2019 attempts to produce consistent performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pirelli found Friday\u2019s benchmark more than four seconds slower than its qualifying simulation reference. That comparison concerns expectations for the current cars, rather than a direct measurement against the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The challenge extends beyond a flying lap. Teams need to establish which compounds offer sustainable race pace, with the hard tyre still untested after Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mercedes has work to do after upgrade debut<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
George Russell finished seventh in FP2, with Kimi Antonelli eighth. Russell\u2019s best lap was 0.492s slower than Leclerc\u2019s, leaving Mercedes behind Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren in the afternoon classification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, both Mercedes drivers encountered problems completing their qualifying attempts: Antonelli lost a lap to track limits, while Russell abandoned an attempt in the final sector<\/strong>. Those details matter before treating the result as proof that the upgrade failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The analysis of Mercedes\u2019 FP2 performance<\/a> explains what the timing sheet reveals and which questions remain for Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"F1](\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-treinos-livres-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-05-1024x683.jpg\")
Kimi Antonelli (Photo: Mercedes)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Hamilton avoids a grid penalty after Bortoleto incident<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Hamilton received a warning following the FP2 incident in which Bortoleto had to take evasive action. Ferrari was fined, but the seven-time champion will not lose grid positions as a result of the incident.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The outcome separates the investigation from the sporting penalties already affecting other drivers this weekend. Hamilton finished FP2 fifth, while Bortoleto was 12th before his session ended with a technical problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report on Hamilton\u2019s warning and Ferrari\u2019s fine<\/a> covers the decision after the session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n