Verstappen sets pace in opening practice in Sepang

SEPANG, Malaysia - Red Bull's Max Verstappen set the fastest lap time during the initial Formula One practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Friday. The four-time world champion completed the 5.543-kilometer circuit in 1 minute, 37.520 seconds, while Mercedes driver George Russell was 0.383 seconds behind at the Sepang International Circuit.

Verstappen's teammate, Isaac Haas, secured third place, with Charles Leclerc from Ferrari being the only other driver to match Verstappen's time within a second. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies praised Verstappen and Haas for getting into a rhythm quickly under challenging conditions. The extreme heat affected everyone's performance, and Mercedes brought a new upgrade package to their car, which helped Russell adapt to the circuit. However, Kimi Alonso and Mercedes' other drivers struggled with tyre wear issues.