Friday practice for the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia was atypical in several respects. Lap times turned out to be four and a half seconds slower than expected due to the poor track surface, Mercedes did not impress as much as perhaps expected and the run plans were rather unusual.
The latter was perhaps most evident with Max Verstappen. Normally, drivers complete their qualifying ...Keep reading

With seven or eight Formula 1 weekends remaining in 2026 – depending on the situation in the Middle East – Red Bull has just two objectives left: preventing 2026 from becoming the team’s first winless year since 2015 and, secondly, learning as much as possible ahead of next season.
Regarding the first objective, Verstappen has said on multiple occasions that Baku was theoretically Red ...Keep reading

Charles Leclerc went fastest in second practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia as the high threat of rain didn’t come to fruition during the Formula 1 outing. 
The Ferrari driver set a 1m37.528s at Sepang that put him 0.099s quicker than second-placed Isack Hadjar, who finished third in FP1, with Lando Norris completing the top three.
It’s come on the weekend that Sepang has ...Keep reading

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has welcomed the public backing of his bosses and called on his team to remain united rather than point fingers and get distracted by outside noise.
While Ferrari has enjoyed an upturn in form under the new 2026 regulations, Vasseur's position returned to the centre of media speculation earlier this week. The cause was an interview in The Times in which former ...Keep reading

Max Verstappen topped opening practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia aboard a highly competitive 2026 Red Bull Formula 1 car in an uninterrupted session at Sepang.
The four-time world champion posted a 1m37.520s to go 0.383s quicker than second-placed George Russell of Mercedes, with Verstappen’s team-mate Isack Hadjar completing the top three on a 1m38.303s. 
It came on F1’s ...Keep reading

Alpine driver Franco Colapinto is set for an additional grid penalty at Formula 1's Bahrain GP in Malaysia after taking a new Mercedes V6 engine.
Colapinto was set for a five-place grid drop at Sepang, which he carried over from last weekend as a punishment for causing a collision with Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris in Baku.
The Argentinian will now be demoted further for taking a fifth ...Keep reading

Mercedes has revealed its updates for Formula 1's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, introducing a vastly reworked floor and new sidepods as it seeks to increase its control in both 2026 championships.
The W17 has been the class of the field so far in 2026, although has faced competition from Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull intermittently throughout the season.
Although none of them has been ...Keep reading

Malaysia's Sepang circuit is making a one-off return to the Formula 1 calendar as a proxy host for the Bahrain Grand Prix, bringing challenges both familiar and new.
The hot and humid conditions, along with the daily late-afternoon rain downpour, act as a Proustian madeleine for those with previous experience of this venue. For others – including most of the drivers on the grid – these are ...Keep reading

Reigning Formula 1 champion Lando Norris says he issued a public apology to Franco Colapinto to help calm the waters as his calls for a race ban sparked an online backlash.
Norris slammed Colapinto for causing a pile-up at last weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, calling for a race ban for the Argentinian driver.
The McLaren driver soon reached out to apologise to Colapinto for going too far ...Keep reading

This week the Haas Formula 1 team confirmed what had long been mooted in the paddock: Esteban Ocon will be leaving at the end of the current 2026 season. But the man himself has designs on staying in F1.
“My focus is on Formula 1,” he said in Malaysia. “That is clear, that's where I belong, that's where I want to be. So I'm not going to look elsewhere.
“But you never know what can ...Keep reading