2026 Bahrain GP in Malaysia FP2: Leclerc takes Friday honours

Charles Leclerc put Ferrari on top of second practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, setting a 1m 37.528s lap at Sepang. Isack Hadjar finished just 0.099s behind, with Lando Norris third, 0.137s off the pace. After Max Verstappen led FP1, the afternoon gave the 2026 F1 World Championship field a much closer look at how the teams stack up on Formula 1’s first visit to the circuit since 2017.

The sunny conditions of opening practice gave way to dark clouds before FP2. With a 90 per cent chance of rain forecast for the session, cars queued at the pit exit to make the most of a dry track when the light turned green at 16:00 local time. All 22 drivers went out. Most started on medium tyres, while both McLarens, both Cadillacs and Pierre Gasly chose softs. Gasly’s race engineer was already considering what a shower might mean for their programme.

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Verstappen picked up where he had left off in FP1. His early 1m 37.785s on mediums put him two tenths ahead of George Russell, although neither Red Bull driver had an entirely straightforward run. Hadjar reported oscillations in his RB22, and Verstappen told the team he was having trouble with his seating position.

2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia FP2 Results

2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia FP2, 2 October 2026

About 15 minutes in, several drivers, including both Mercedes racers, fitted soft tyres to get a quick lap in before any rain arrived. Kimi Antonelli’s effort was deleted for exceeding track limits, while Russell abandoned his lap in the final sector. At that point, Russell was second and the championship leader fourth.

There was also a near miss between Gabriel Bortoleto and Lewis Hamilton. The Audi driver took avoiding action when he caught the slower Ferrari on the racing line and reacted angrily over the radio. The stewards noted the incident. Hamilton later said he could not “see through my right mirror”; an investigation into the alleged impeding was due after the session.

By halfway, the clouds appeared to be clearing and Leclerc had moved to the top with the lap that would remain unbeaten. Norris was initially second, 0.137s back, with Verstappen third. Hadjar then split Leclerc and Norris, getting to within 0.099s of the Ferrari.

As the final third began, Verstappen and Franco Colapinto were the only drivers still to try soft tyres. Bortoleto, meanwhile, asked Audi to inspect his floor after running wide during a battle with Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad. The pair continued racing each other over several laps. Colapinto eventually switched to softs, but Verstappen stayed on mediums as teams turned their attention to longer runs. The FP1 pacesetter then remained in the garage through the closing stages.

Bortoleto’s session ended with two minutes remaining when his Audi stopped at the side of the circuit. Yellow flags appeared, followed by a Virtual Safety Car, and the Brazilian climbed out of the car. With little time left for anyone to improve, Leclerc headed the final classification ahead of Hadjar, Norris and Verstappen. Hamilton was fifth, 0.305s from the lead, pending the investigation into the Bortoleto incident.

Oscar Piastri took sixth, followed by Russell, Antonelli, Liam Lawson and Gasly to complete the top 10. Lindblad was 11th ahead of Bortoleto, Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso, Ollie Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez and Colapinto. Ferrari finished Friday fastest, but Hadjar’s narrow gap and Verstappen’s fourth place without a soft-tyre run leave plenty to resolve before qualifying.