Max Verstappen leads Bahrain GP practice in Malaysia

SEPANG: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the fastest time in Friday’s opening practice for the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, as the four-time world champion began his bid for a first victory of the season at the Malaysian circuit.

Verstappen completed the 5.543-km Sepang International Circuit in 1 minute, 37.520 seconds, finishing 0.383 seconds ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell.

The Bahrain race is being held in Malaysia because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Verstappen’s Red Bull team mate Isack Hadjar was third, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was the only other driver within one second of the session leader.

Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies praised Verstappen and Hadjar’s strong start but warned that extreme heat was making conditions difficult for all drivers.

“It’s early to get excited because it’s only FP1 but Max and Isack did a good job in very difficult conditions - they got into a rhythm pretty quickly,” Mekies said.

“Everyone is fighting with the car because of the extreme heat so it doesn’t feel good for anyone.”

Russell, competing at Sepang for the first time, adapted quickly despite Mercedes introducing a new upgrade package. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was fifth, more than a second behind Verstappen.

Both Mercedes drivers struggled with tyre wear and ran wide at Turn Four late in the session. Leclerc also highlighted the challenging conditions, saying: “The tyre degradation is insane.”

Lewis Hamilton was sixth, followed by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg.

The FIA also confirmed grid penalties for Hadjar, Lindblad and Franco Colapinto after they exceeded their seasonal engine allowances.

McLaren’s Lando Norris was 12th fastest, behind team mate Oscar Piastri.