F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia: Max Verstappen tops FP1
Max Verstappen topped opening practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia aboard a highly competitive 2026 Red Bull Formula 1 car in an uninterrupted session at Sepang. The four-time world champion posted a 1m37.520s to go 0.383s quicker than second-placed George Russell of Mercedes, with Verstappen’s team-mate Isack Hadjar completing the top three on a 1m38.303s. It came on F1’s ... Keep…
Max Verstappen topped the first practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, held at the Sepang track. He drove a 2026 Red Bull Formula 1 car and posted a time of 1m37.520s, 0.383s quicker than Mercedes' George Russell.
Isack Hadjar, Verstappen's teammate, was third fastest with a time of 1m38.303s. According to Yahoo Sports and BBC Sport, Hadjar and Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson will incur grid penalties for using too many engine parts.
The session was uninterrupted, and the top five was completed by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, with Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes in between them, according to Yahoo Sports and BBC Sport. Pierre Gasly was seventh fastest for Alpine. The Bahrain Grand Prix was moved to Malaysia due to the war in the Middle East, with Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa negotiating to hold the race at Sepang.
Brief written by urgent.news from Motorsport.com, Yahoo Sports, BBC Sport — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
