09:24
An incident involving Lance Stroll will be investigated after the session, as he failed to follow the directors instructions regarding maximum delta time
Kimi Antonelli
© XPB Images
F1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia Qualifying as it happened
Relive all the action from Saturday at the 2026 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia
KEY MOMENTS
- Max Verstappen claims first pole of 2026
- Lewis Hamilton joins great F1 rival on front row
- Mercedes struggles despite upgrade
The 2026 Formula 1 season continues this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, which marks the 16th round of the campaign.
This weekend marks F1's first visit to the Sepang International Circuit since the last Malaysian Grand Prix in 2017.
However, this will not be officially counted as a Malaysian Grand Prix, as the event is being run and paid for by the Bahrain Grand Prix. As such, the event is being called the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Despite the tropical setting, the Bahrain organisers have flown in around 500 marshals from the country, while much of the branding around the circuit reflects that of the Sakhir track.
The event has been moved to Malaysia this year due to the ongoing war in Iran. The Bahrain Grand Prix had originally been due to run in April back-to-back with Saudi Arabia.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli comes into the Bahrain Grand Prix leading the championship still, though a fifth-place finish after a crash in qualifying last time out at Baku has seen his advantage reduced to 66 points by Mercedes team-mate George Russell.
Mercedes has an updated car at Sepang, as it looks to rebuild its dominant advantage from earlier in the season.
Ferrari has attempted to quieten the noise around the team in the last week surrounding the future of Fred Vasseur, with both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc publicly backing their team boss ahead of the event at Sepang.
This weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix has been declared a heat hazard, while air quality could be an issue due to haze in the region right now.
On top of that, F1's 2026 cars could face their first proper wet weather test at Sepang, with a threat of storms for both Saturday and Sunday.
Max Verstappen was the winner on F1's last visit to Sepang in 2017. The Red Bull driver made an encouraging start to the weekend by setting the pace in opening practice on Friday, before Leclerc rounded out the day quickest for Ferrari.
2026 Bahrain Grand Prix Saturday schedule
FP3 - 5:30am BST - 6:30am BST
Qualifying - 9am BST - 10am BST
09:26
Q2 Green Flag
The green flag is out for Q2 at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia
09:22
Both Aston Martins are into Q2 as Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll ended that session in 14th and 15th
09:20
Eliminated from Q1
Verstappen leads Q1 from Hamilton and Leclerc
Knocked Out:
- Nico Hulkenberg
- Oliver Bearman
- Esteban Ocon
- Alex Albon
- Valtteri Bottas
- Sergio Perez
09:18
Chequered Flag
The chequered flag is out at the end of Q1
09:15
After the first runs, drivers are heading back on track for one last attempt at securing a place in Q2
09:11
Looking at the drivers at risk after the first run, it includes:
Esteban Ocon
Alexander Albon
Oliver Bearman
Lance Stroll
Valtteri Bottas
Sergio Perez
09:09
The Ferrari drivers have now gone second and third, with Hamilton ahead of Leclerc
09:08
Verstappen goes fastest
Max Verstappen goes fastest on his first flying lap with a 1m 36.477, he is ahead of Isack Hadjar and Kimi Antonelli
09:05
The Ferraris are both out on medium tyres for their first run
09:05
The first time on the board is from Esteban Ocon, who set a 1:38.879
09:04
The Red Bulls and Mercedes are now both on track as well. Will we see one of Antonelli, Russell, Verstappen, or Hadjar on pole?
09:01
The Haas drivers are wasting no time, and are already out on track in Q1
09:00
Qualifying is underway
The green flags are out, and Qualifying is now underway!
08:55
Five minute countdown
We are five minutes away from the start of what could be a hectic qualifying session at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia
08:45
15 minutes to go
There are 15 minutes until the Formula 1 Qualifying session begins at the Sepang International Circuit...
08:39
George Russell was on pole last time out, but can the British driver go back-to-back this weekend and claim pole at Sepang?
08:26
Grid Penalties for the Bahrain GP in Malaysia
Ahead of qualifying, it seems like the right time to review grid penalties for this weekend:
Isack Hadjar - five-place grid penalty (Seventh ICE)
Franco Colapinto - 15-place grid penalty (Baku penalty/fifth ICE)
Arvid Lindblad - 30-place grid penalty (Fifth ICE, turbocharger, and exhaust set)
08:16
Reminder of Free Practice 3 Results
Here were the full results from the Free Practice session earlier today
Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia: Full final practice results
Kimi Antonelli
© XPB Images
08:08
As a reminder, it was Kimi Antonelli who topped the timesheets in the final Free Practice session ahead of the upcoming Qualifying session
08:00
F1 Qualifying
We are an hour away from the start of qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
07:32
Lewis Hamilton reacts to Fernando Alonso news
Lewis Hamilton has backed fellow multiple Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso’s natural talent after his contract extension with Aston Martin.
Ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Alonso signed a fresh contract with Aston Martin that will see him continue to race in F1 for a minimum one more year, with his new deal running until at least the end of 2027.
The two-time world champion’s decision to stay in F1 has been a major talking point in the Sepang paddock, and former title rival Hamilton shared his honest opinion about Alonso’s renewal.
"There's a lot of drivers at the front who can't compete with Fernando, on pure talent. He's just not able to show that at the moment," Hamilton told reporters in Malaysia.
Lewis Hamilton has heaped praise on Fernando Alonso
07:04
F1 fans blast Bahrain GP organisers
Formula 1 fans have hit out at Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia organisers after experiencing transport chaos following Friday practice.
Spectators attending F1’s return to Malaysia on Friday were faced with severe traffic congestion, poor crowd management and huge waits for shuttle buses.
Videos shared on social media highlighted the shambolic situation, with hundreds of fans left waiting for hours to board shuttle buses.
Swathes of F1 fans experienced a logistical nightmare after Friday practice
06:44
With Free Practice now done and dusted, the next track action will be Qualifying, which is set to start at 9am BST.
06:40
F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia FP3 Full Results
Here are the full results from the final Free Practice session at the Sepang International Circuit