Max Verstappen sets the early pace in F1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia

The last F1 race at the Sepang International Circuit was won by Max Verstappen, and the Dutch driver returned to the top of the timesheets in Malaysia as he topped FP1 at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. 

Verstappen spent the entirety of the opening session on soft tyres, when compared to the majority of his rivals, who spent a lot of time on medium tyres. 

Behind the Red Bull driver was the Azerbaijan Grand Prix winner, George Russell, who was 0.383 seconds behind Verstappen, as his time with the new Mercedes updates began. 

The second Red Bull driver, Isack Hadjar, briefly topped the timesheets in the early stages. However, he ended the opening session in third place and was 0.400 seconds behind his teammate. 

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc found himself within a second of Verstappen, as he ended up in fourth place and was 0.847 seconds behind the Dutch driver. 

It was an interesting first session for the F1 Championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, as his first outing around the Sepang International Circuit saw him end the session in fifth place. 

Despite his experience at the Malaysian circuit, Lewis Hamilton found himself outside of the top five in sixth place, with Pierre Gasly behind him in seventh place. 

The Racing Bulls were locked together on the timesheets, as Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad ended FP1 in eighth and ninth place, with the Audi of Nico Hulkenberg completing the top ten. 

It was a tricky start to the weekend for the McLaren drivers, as neither Oscar Piastri nor Lando Norris was inside the top ten, as they ended up in 11th and 12th places, and were both over 1.7 seconds behind Verstappen. 

After renewing with Aston Martin for the 2027 season, Fernando Alonso ended the opening Practice session in 14th place, but was 2.163 seconds behind Verstappen. 

The Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman were together on the timesheets in 15th and 16th, with Ocon now searching for a drive for the 2027 season. 

At the bottom of the timesheets were the Cadillac drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, as they were both over 3 seconds behind Verstappen.