Max Verstappen topped the opening practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Thursday, signalling Red Bull's competitive strength despite earlier headline results suggesting otherwise. According to official practice results, Verstappen's fastest lap of 1:37.520 set over 23 laps proved decisive, finishing 0.383 seconds ahead of George Russell in second place. The session underscored Red Bull's underlying pace advantage, with both Charles Leclerc and Isack Hadjar acknowledging the team's competitive position heading into qualifying and race day.
Leclerc, who has driven for Ferrari since 2019, finished fourth on the timesheets but was among the first to recognise Red Bull's strength. Despite setting the fastest time in an earlier session, Leclerc explained that circumstances had masked the true competitive order. He noted that Hadjar had made errors in the final sector of his lap and that Verstappen had deliberately avoided attempting a qualifying simulation run on soft tyres, choosing instead to prioritise race preparation given forecasts of rain.
What did the drivers say about Red Bull's pace?
Leclerc acknowledged Red Bull's advantage while reflecting on the challenging conditions.
Everybody is very close. It's been a very difficult day overall. The track conditions were very tricky. The track was quite dirty and very slippery so things will evolve and change a lot from today until tomorrow and we have to be on the good side of that anticipating that in the best possible way. I felt quite good with the car but I still feel like the Red Bull is standing out this weekend so far. Isack did some mistakes in the last part of the lap and Max didn't do the lap on the soft tyres. I don't think we are the most competitive and also the Mercedes is a bit difficult to understand. I'm sure once Mercedes put everything together they will be very strong. Normally when they put something on the car it works.
Verstappen characterised his day as a positive start despite not pursuing the soft-tyre qualifying simulation.
We were not very optimistic starting the weekend. The main aspect was to evaluate the package we put in Baku in different type of corners than low speed. It looks to be working better than the previous package. Relative performance is difficult to judge but we were surprisingly happy with where we were today.This assessment came from Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache, who highlighted that the team's recent upgrades from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix were performing better than anticipated on Sepang's low-speed corners.
How did Mercedes perform with their new upgrade?
Mercedes introduced a major upgrade package for the first time since the Canadian Grand Prix in June, with both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli running the new specification. The upgrade focused on improving downforce, but Russell identified tyre overheating and degradation as the immediate concern.
I'm feeling the downforce in some of the corners but with this amount of tyre overheating and degradation that trumps everything. So we just need to get on top of that overnight. That's more of a set-up rather than the upgrade itself and go from there.
Russell finished seventh on the timesheets, 0.305 seconds off the pace, while Antonelli was eighth. According to additional reporting, Russell indicated that Mercedes' tyre wear during his race simulation appeared to be an outlier compared with Verstappen's performance, suggesting the issue was primarily a setup matter rather than a fundamental limitation of the upgrade itself. When asked about his prospects for Saturday's qualifying, Russell remained cautious.
Currently, Verstappen looks very fast and the race pace of the McLaren looked very quick but never say never.
Russell trails Antonelli by 66 points in the championship following his victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix the previous weekend.
What was the broader competitive picture?
The top four teams remained tightly bunched after a day spent evaluating tyre wear in tropical temperatures and on an abnormally abrasive track surface. Lando Norris finished third for McLaren, 0.257 seconds behind Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton was fifth in the second Ferrari, 0.099 seconds behind Hadjar. Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson and Alpine's Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten in ninth and tenth positions respectively.
On race simulation runs, Verstappen's car appeared strongest when accounting for stint length and tyre wear, reinforcing the impression that Red Bull held a genuine pace advantage despite the earlier headline timings.
What penalties will affect the grid?
Three drivers face grid penalties heading into Saturday's qualifying. Hadjar will drop five places from his qualifying position for exceeding the permitted number of engine parts. Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls faces a drop to the back of the grid for engine penalties, while Alpine's Franco Colapinto will also start from the rear due to a 10-place engine penalty combined with a five-place penalty imposed for causing a crash at a restart during the previous weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Why is the Bahrain Grand Prix being held in Malaysia?
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races were cancelled at the beginning of the year due to circumstances related to the war in the Middle East. However, Bahrain remained keen to hold its Grand Prix, and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa negotiated to relocate the event to Malaysia. Sepang last hosted a Formula 1 race in 2017, making this a one-off return to the circuit, regarded as one of the finest layouts among the generation of circuits that emerged at the end of the last century and into this one.
A range of Bahraini-related activities are being held at the circuit, while the trophy presented to the winner will be the Bahrain Grand Prix trophy. In a symbolic touch, rosewater rather than champagne will be sprayed on the podium.
What happens next?
Second practice is scheduled for Friday, October 2, at 16:00 local time. Qualifying will take place on Saturday, October 3, with the Grand Prix itself scheduled for Sunday, October 4, at 15:00 local time.
Key Facts
- Max Verstappen topped first practice with a time of 1:37.520, finishing 0.383 seconds ahead of George Russell
- Red Bull's underlying pace advantage was masked by Verstappen's decision to skip a soft-tyre qualifying simulation and Hadjar's errors in the final sector
- Mercedes introduced a major upgrade package but identified tyre overheating and degradation as the primary issue to resolve overnight
- Three drivers face grid penalties: Hadjar (five places), Lindblad (back of grid), and Colapinto (back of grid)
- The Bahrain Grand Prix is being held in Malaysia at Sepang for the first time since 2017 due to Middle East circumstances
