The first day of running in the F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia ended with Charles Leclerc on top of the standings. Coming back to the circuit after being away for close to a decade was certainly a welcome surprise, as the drivers were introduced to conditions that were probably less than ideal.
With a highly abrasive surface coupled with a dirty track, the drivers struggled with a lack of grip from the very beginning. The last braking zone continued to be the place where the drivers used different approaches with varied success, and the lack of grip also led to drivers struggling to nail the section.
With rain in the air and the weather as unpredictable as it has always been, what are some of the key learnings from the first day of running? Let’s take a look.
#1 Max Verstappen and Red Bull seem to be in a strong position
As soon as he put together his first lap this weekend, Max Verstappen has been showing impressive speed. The car appears to be in a good place when it comes to the overall confidence that the driver has, and the lack of grip appears to be working for Verstappen.
To add to this, the usual gap of more than half a second to his teammate is back for the Dutch driver, as he was driving in a completely different league to Isack Hadjar. Does it translate to a pole position for the F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia? We’ll have to wait and see, but this is the best Red Bull has looked since Austria and is probably the best chance for a win this season.
#2 George Russell appears to have the edge over Kimi Antonelli in the upgraded Mercedes
The gap has narrowed as Kimi Antonelli continues to learn the track and evolve his driving style, but George Russell has started the F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia race weekend on a positive note. Kimi has shown an innate ability to learn and evolve as the weekend progresses throughout 2026, so it would be interesting to see if George Russell can keep this momentum or gets overhauled by his teammate.
The upgraded Mercedes, on its part, continues to look pretty good over a lap, but we have to question whether there’s going to be an element where the team unleashes another gear in the next couple of days.
#3 McLaren has kept the pace under wraps while Ferrari continues to be the question mark
McLaren was mysteriously low in the timesheets for the most part in FP1 and early on in FP2. However, one look at their long-run pace showed that this package was more or less near the front. The upgraded car introduced in Baku has appeared to have things more or less under control, but where its strengths and weaknesses are will become evident on Saturday when they finally drop the sandbags.
#4 Tire degradation is going to be a major factor on this track, with weather playing spoilsport
Two major variables already on this track are the abrasive surface and its overall impact on the tires and stint lengths, and the weather above. FP2 was expected to have intervention due to rain, but it didn’t play much of a role. Rain is forecast on both Saturday and Sunday as well, and once again, the challenge is going to be immense in those conditions. The unknown variable could turn the race upside down this weekend, and a lot would depend on how the teams respond to the challenge.
#5 Racing Bulls and Alpine fight for midfield supremacy
For now, it does appear that both Alpine and Racing Bulls have pulled away from the rest of the midfield group and are fighting the battle to finish 5th in the championship. In Haas and Audi, they do have some competition, and tire degradation on this track means that the setup demands have to be nailed, but for now, it’s the team from Faenza and the team from Enstone that appear to have stolen a march on the others.
