Round 16 of the 2026 F1 season headed to Sepang for the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026.
Verstappen swept qualifying at Sepang for his first pole of 2026 in 1:35.130, beating Hamilton by 0.298s as Hadjar placed third before a grid penalty.
Antonelli led final practice at Sepang with a 1:36.302, beating Verstappen by 0.278s as Mercedes rebounded and Red Bull put two cars in the top three.
Leclerc led FP2 at Sepang with a 1:37.528, 0.099s ahead of Hadjar, while Norris was third and Bortoleto's stoppage brought out the Virtual Safety Car.
Verstappen led FP1 at Sepang with a 1:37.520, ahead of Russell and Hadjar, as teams gathered key data for Bahrain Grand Prix practice two in Malaysia.
From Verstappen's wet Montreal masterclass to Russell's Baku stunner, explore F1's 10 biggest qualifying margins since 2016 and why they still matter.
Round 15 of the 2026 F1 season headed east again for the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026.
Russell stormed to Baku pole by 0.837s as Leclerc edged Piastri by 0.001s and championship leader Antonelli crashed in Q1.
Verstappen edged Russell by 0.099s in a windy Baku FP3 as drivers brushed walls and tested the limits before qualifying.
Russell completed a Baku practice sweep, leading Antonelli and Verstappen in FP2 as Lindblad crashed and Bearman stopped.