Verstappen tops Bahrain GP practice at Sepang — SkimNews
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- Verstappen topped the timesheets as Formula 1 came back to Sepang for the first time in nine years, with the Bahrain Grand Prix relocated to Malaysia after the original Middle East dates were cancelled due to war in the region.
- George Russell, last week's Azerbaijan winner, finished 0.383 seconds adrift in an upgraded Mercedes, with the second Red Bull of Isack Hadjar third fastest at 0.783s off the pace.
- Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader, split Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc (fourth) and Lewis Hamilton in the other works Mercedes.
- Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa negotiated to hold the Bahrain race at Sepang, with Bahraini-themed activities around the track, the Bahrain Grand Prix trophy, and rosewater replacing champagne on the podium.
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) will start from the back of the grid under a penalty for using too many engine components, with Hadjar expected to take a five-place drop for the same infraction.
- Mercedes rolled a major floor and rear-bodywork upgrade — their first since the Canadian Grand Prix — but Russell's wear was called an 'outlier' compared to Verstappen's during the race-simulation runs on the abrasive Sepang tarmac.
- McLaren, widely expected to be the pace-setters, were a distant 11th (Piastri) and 12th (Norris) in a muted opening day.
Why it matters: McLaren entered the weekend as the team to beat but were buried in 11th and 12th in first practice — a 7-9 place gap to Verstappen that, if it holds, overturns the pre-weekend pecking order and gives Red Bull early momentum at a Sepang layout none of the current grid has raced on.
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