Max Verstappen topped the first Formula 1 practice session at Sepang in nine years on Friday, leading George Russell by 0.383 seconds as the Bahrain Grand Prix was staged in Malaysia. The four-time world champion recorded a best lap of 1 minute 37.520 seconds in his Red Bull, ahead of Russell’s upgraded Mercedes and Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar.

The session ran without interruption at the Sepang International Circuit, which is hosting Bahrain’s race in place of the Sakhir circuit. The change followed the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races at the beginning of the year because of the war in the Middle East. Bahrain remained keen to hold its event, and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa negotiated for it to take place in Malaysia.

A range of activities connected to Bahrain are being held at the track. The podium trophy will be the Bahrain Grand Prix trophy, and rosewater will be sprayed instead of champagne. The event marks Formula 1’s return to Sepang after nine years; Verstappen won the last race held there, in 2017.

With little recent data available for the Malaysian circuit, teams sent drivers out early to gather information. Most initially favoured medium tyres, and Russell set the fastest medium-tyre time in the opening half-hour, a 1:38.932 that put him 0.522 seconds ahead of Mercedes team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Both Red Bull drivers started on soft tyres, however, giving Verstappen an early advantage: his 1:38.883 was 0.049 seconds faster than Russell’s time.

Hadjar was about seven-tenths of a second behind Verstappen early on and had difficulty with the circuit’s low grip. He had an understeer moment at the final hairpin. Drivers also had to contend with heat and humidity, with temperatures reaching 32C in the Southeast Asian country.

Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto, who was 2.631 seconds off the pace in the first half of the one-hour session, described the heat as extreme. “This is the craziest I’ve ever been in my life with temperatures,” he said. “Even more than Bahrain in FP1.”

The high tyre wear expected before the event was also a prominent feature, with drivers commenting on degradation caused by Sepang’s abrasive surface. “Tyre degradation is insane,” said Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who finished fourth. Russell raised concerns during a late race-simulation run, and Mercedes told him his tyre wear appeared to be “an outlier” compared with Verstappen’s.

Verstappen stayed on soft tyres throughout the session, preserving his supply of harder compounds for later in the event. Russell used one set each of soft and medium tyres. After the first 30 minutes, more teams switched to softs and lap times fell. Hadjar lowered his team-mate’s benchmark to 1:38.303, then Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton moved within 0.064 and 0.287 seconds of that mark, respectively.

Russell briefly took the lead with a 1:37.903. Verstappen responded with the session’s fastest time, set with 25 minutes remaining, going 0.383 seconds clear. In the final minutes, drivers returned to harder compounds to work through testing programmes for the weekend, leaving the top three unchanged.

Leclerc was fourth in 1:38.367, 0.847 seconds behind Verstappen. Antonelli, the championship leader, placed fifth with a 1:38.580, splitting the Ferrari drivers. The Mercedes driver had a scrappier session than his dominant 2026 campaign might suggest. He and Russell were both making their first visit to Sepang, as were the two McLaren drivers.

Hamilton finished sixth in 1:38.590, 1.070 seconds off the lead. Pierre Gasly was seventh for Alpine in 1:38.715 after setting the fastest first sector. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls took eighth and ninth, while Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10. All four Red Bull-Ford-powered cars were inside the top 10.

Lindblad is due to start from the back of the grid after a penalty for using too many engine parts. Hadjar also faces a grid penalty for the same reason, expected to be five places. The penalties give added significance to practice results, although the opening session itself established only the pace over one hour.

McLaren had a quiet start at a circuit the team had expected to suit them. Reigning world champion Lando Norris was 12th in 1:39.293, 1.773 seconds behind Verstappen, while Oscar Piastri placed 11th in 1:39.276, 1.756 seconds off the pace and 0.017 seconds ahead of Norris. The world champions were among the teams whose drivers finished outside the top 10.

Bortoleto was 13th for Audi, followed by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in 14th. Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman were 15th and 16th, ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon in 17th. Lance Stroll of Aston Martin was 18th, Franco Colapinto of Alpine 19th, and Williams’ Carlos Sainz 20th. Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez finished 21st and 22nd.

Mercedes brought its first major car upgrade since the Canadian Grand Prix, including a new floor and rear bodywork. The upgraded W17 appeared competitive, while Red Bull arrived after taking its first double podium of 2026 last weekend. Russell, who won last week in Azerbaijan, ended the session second, with Verstappen firmly ahead at the circuit where he last won a Malaysian Grand Prix.

Based on reporting by Autosport, BBC Sport and RaceFans.