Charles Leclerc leads Sepang second practice as Ferrari edges Red Bull

Ferrari leads opening day in Malaysia

Charles Leclerc set the fastest lap time of 1:37.528 for Ferrari during the second free practice session at the Sepang International Circuit on Friday, 2 October 2026. The session marked Formula 1's return to the Malaysian venue after a nine-year absence, stepping in as the sixteenth round of the 2026 championship to host the rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix, which was postponed from April due to war. Leclerc completed 29 laps during the one-hour afternoon running, narrowly edging out Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar by 0.099 seconds. McLaren driver Lando Norris followed in third place, 0.137 seconds adrift of Leclerc, while Max Verstappen finished fourth with a gap of 0.257 seconds after topping the morning session in 1:37.520. Lewis Hamilton placed fifth in the second Ferrari, finishing 0.305 seconds off his teammate's benchmark pace.

Challenging track conditions and tyre wear

High temperatures and low grip levels proved difficult for drivers as they attempted to establish suitable aerodynamic and mechanical balance. The Sepang circuit surface remained dirty and slippery throughout Friday, prompting several cars to suffer from bouncing along the straightaways. Tyre degradation emerged as a central technical focus across the paddock, with teams dividing run plans between single-lap performance runs and high-fuel race simulations. Leclerc explained after the session that small variations in driving technique created substantial differences in tyre management.

It was a good day, in which we learned a lot, but there is still plenty of work to do between now and Sunday. Our performance was encouraging, but we must not underestimate our rivals because I think they still have something to pull out tomorrow. The gaps are very close, today the track was quite dirty and slippery, and I expect a fairly significant evolution of conditions before qualifying. Degradation will probably be the main theme of the weekend. Even a small difference in the way you tackle certain corners can have a huge impact on tyre wear, so I think all the ingredients are there for an interesting race.

Mixed fortunes across the grid

Mercedes experienced a more complicated Friday despite introducing an aerodynamic upgrade package and running a special green livery. Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished eighth with a time of 1:38.060, sitting just behind teammate George Russell, who recorded a 1:38.020 in seventh after taking second in the opening session. Both Mercedes drivers made errors during their low-fuel simulation runs, though their long-run race pace proved much closer to the frontrunners. Oscar Piastri took sixth for McLaren in 1:37.899, while Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly placed ninth and tenth for Racing Bulls and Alpine. Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto ended the second session twelfth after stopping on track with a technical problem in the closing minutes.

Grid penalties and weekend schedule

Several teams face strategic hurdles for the remainder of the race weekend due to component changes. Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls, and Franco Colapinto of Alpine will all incur grid penalties that send them to the back of the starting grid on Sunday after changing multiple power unit elements. Fernando Alonso placed fifteenth for Aston Martin with a lap of 1:39.478, following a fourteenth-place result in the morning practice. Track action at Sepang continues on Saturday, 3 October 2026, with the third and final free practice session starting at 06:30 local time, followed by qualifying at 10:00.