2026 Formula 1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia
F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia: Follow qualifying at Sepang with live timing
Keep in touch with qualifying as Malaysia hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix
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A dramatic pole position for Max Verstappen, then. Red Bull thought Azerbaijan was its big chance for a win this year but then didn't deliver; perhaps this will provide a second bite at the cherry?
Lewis Hamilton salutes the fans, as usual. "This is the biggest crowd I've ever seen here," he says.
That is certainly true. This was a historically under-attended venue owing to the ticket prices being out of reach for most locals. But a combination of the Netflix effect and the Bahrainis pitching the tickets much more affordably has really changed the scene here.
Shame it's a pain in the backside to leave at the end of the day!
Hamilton goes purple in the second sector, Verstappen in the third.
Max has found time overall with that lap, even though he was slower through the first two sectors: 1m35.130s.
Hadjar doesn't improve but Hamilton does to go P2 with a 1m35.428s.
Leclerc improves to 1m35.666s – it's the number of the beast, but not quite enough. He's P5 so Antonelli loses just one place after the first runs - and Hadjar's grid penalty neutralises that anyway.
So Antonelli will start from P3 tomorrow, Leclerc from P4.
Net P5, therefore, will be Norris, who found a couple of tenths on his final run (1m35.757s). P6 will be Piastri (1m36.762s, no improvement from first run), P7 will be Russell (1m35.871s).
Hadjar will be net P8, followed by Gasly and Bortoleto.
Well, neither Verstappen nor Hadjar are faster through the first sector than they were on their first runs. Only Hamilton and Leclerc setting personal bests through there as yet - but now Russell does as well.
So while Antonelli has veritably shot his bolt, the others are taking to the track. All on new C4s apart from Bortoleto and Gasly.
Remember, whatever Hadjar does here he won't start from the front row because he's got a grid penalty for new PU components.
And Antonelli slots into provisional P3 with a 1m35.631s.
Antonelli is decently quick but this isn't going to be a P1 lap.
Currently Verstappen is P1 with 1m35.250s, 0.308s up on team-mate Hadjar's 1m35.558s.
Hamilton P3 (1m35.745s), Piastri P4 (1m35.762s), Leclerc P5 (1m36.878s), Norris P6 (1m35.982s), Russell P7 (1m36.032s), Bortoleto P8 (1m37.673s).
Looks like Gasly bailed out of his push lap because he has yet to set a time.
Antonelli now heads out of the pits for what's likely to be a one-and-done lap on his only remaining set of fresh C4s.
And Hamilton!
Verstappen then goes fastest of all. Interestingly, purple through the first sector but then not as quick as Hamilton through S2 or Hadjar through S3.
1m36.032s for Russell, meaningfully better than his Q2 time, but both Hadjar and Leclerc are faster still.
Hamilton then goes purple in sector two.
Hadjar is faster than Russell through the first sector. But Russell is quicker through the second - only just!
Russell is going to be first to open a push lap, followed by Hadjar, then Leclerc and Hamilton.
Scrubbed softs for Gasly and Bortoleto. Antonelli yet to emerge from the pits.
Q3 IS GO!
Russell leads the cars out for the first runs in this final phase of qualifying.
Lawson, Alonso, Sainz, Stroll, Colapinto and Lindblad the drivers eliminated in Q2 then. The latter two didn't even set timed laps, they were only deployed to give their team-mates a tow. Lindblad is given a pat on the back over the radio for his efforts.
Gasly improved to 1m36.410s, though as it turns out his previous lap would have been good for P9 anyway.
Alonso's 1m37.220s takes him to P12, his highest start of the season.
Take that! Bortoleto ripostes to Lawson and posts a 1m36.814s to reclaim P10.
Lawson bunks Bortoleto out of P10 with 1m37.023s, helped by a tow from Lindblad, who is taking a grid penalty for new PU components this weekend.
Hamilton is on his way to not improving.
Is this going to be an eight-car shootout for the last two places in the top 10?
Mercedes obviously feel Russell is safe with his 1m36.245s because he's still in the garage.
Hamilton on scrubbed C4s, we note.
P2 for Antonelli: 1m35.959, 0.263s off Verstappen.
Hamilton now going out, which we didn't predict, but Gasly and Bortoleto less so.
Stroll has already posted a 1m38.807s which isn't enough to trouble the top 10, but he's heading out for another go.
Lawson and Lindblad heading back out now, also on new softs. As is Alonso!
All eyes on Antonelli now as he opens his push lap.
Gasly (1m36.657s), Bortoleto (1m37.120s) and Lawson (1m37.773s) make up the rest of the top 10.
Yes, Antonelli goes back out on new softs. This will compromise his run plan in Q3 (if he gets there).
Piastri slots between the Ferraris with a 1m36.020s. Norris now P5 on 1m36.173s. This flurry of activity has pushed Hadjar (1m36.192s) down to P6.
Russell P7 on 1m36.245s. Antonelli can't believe his track-limits strike and is querying it on the radio. Chances are he'll have to 'spend' another new set of softs.
Hamilton posts a 1m36.032s to go P3. That demotes Antonelli - actually, Kimi has just had his first run struck off for violating track limits.
Verstappen purple through the opening sectors again. And in the final one! 1m35.696s.
Leclerc then goes purple in sector two en route to 1m35.970s, P2 behind Verstappen (by 0.274s).
Verstappen has been shown a black-and-white flag for driving too slowly on his out lap. Anyone rememberwhen the golfer Nick Faldo cried on TV when he was accused of slow play? No fear of Max doing that.
Everybody but Colapinto and Alonso now out on track. Franco carrying a 15-place grid penalty, you'll recall.
Leclerc and Hamilton join the fray as well. TheFerraris going for soft tyres on this run.
Hadjar, Verstappen, Antonelli and Russell are first out of the pits.
Both Aston Martins make it through to Q2. That's the big takeaway from Q1 here at Sepang.
By: Stuart Codling
