Bahrain GP in Malaysia 2026 – Practice 1 F1 results (Sepang)

Here are the complete F1 results from practice 1 at the Bahrain GP in Malaysia from the Sepang circuit, the 16th round of the F1 2026 season.

Max Verstappen was fastest in the opening hour, a busy session as teams banked early laps and, more importantly, critical data for the remainder of the weekend.

Who was fastest in Free Practice 1 at the Bahrain GP in Malaysia?

Verstappen proved just under four-tenths faster than George Russell, with Isack Hadjar third best and almost eight-tenths off the pace.

The leading runners all set their best times on the soft tyres, with grip levels rising as the session wore on.

It made getting experience (and data) across compounds important and saw a mix of approaches up and down the pit lane.

Charles Leclerc was also on softs when he logged the fourth-best time, one place better than Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari.

Oscar Piastri was the leading McLaren runner in just 11th, though given neither he not Lando Norris had competed at Sepang it was a session spent to learn more than set rapid laptimes.

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Why is the Bahrain Grand Prix taking place in Malaysia?

For many, it was also their first experience of the Sepang circuit, with George Russell describing it as “very cool” after his initial laps.

The circuit was green, with times ramping up sharply as the session wore on, the dust cleared, and the racing rubber went down.

For most, it was a learning session: learning an all new track, or blowing off the cobwebs of almost a decade.

The same was true for teams, as they looked to validate their early setups and gather key data ahead of the remainder of the weekend.

Performance running was therefore limited and far from indicative, but a helpful signal of early confidence.

Bahrain GP  in Malaysia 2026: Practice 1 results

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