The Monegasque is ahead in free practice. Verstappen manages the tires. In the meantime, the issue of Italian taxes is stirring the paddock
Charles Leclerc closes in command on Friday free practice for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix, which this year will be exceptionally held in Sepang, Malaysia, due to the tensions affecting the Persian Gulf countries. The Monegasque from Ferrari preceded the Red Bull by just 99 thousandths Isack Hadjarfollowed closely by Lando Norris’ McLaren.
One of the most interesting data of the session, however, bears (as often happens) the signature of the four-time world champion Max Verstappen. In fact, the Dutchman ran the entire day with a single set of medium tyres, without ever switching to the soft compound Pirellis: he still managed to finish fourth, just two and a half tenths behind Charles, with an eye clearly focused on the race pace (where what matters most is collected, i.e. the points) rather than on the flying lap. Behind him Lewis Hamiltonwho with the same tires is three tenths behind his teammate, and Oscar Piastri.
The session took place under the constant threat of a storm which, however, only grazed the track, without ever hitting it, leaving the riders free to lap without any sudden interruption.
George Russell And Kimi Antonelli they finished seventh and eighth respectively, about half a second behind the top. Both mounted soft compound tyres, but were unable to improve their times: Russellin particular, aborted his fastest lap, finishing wide at the last corner and returning to the pits. Not a brilliant afternoon, in short.
The words of Antonelli and Russell
From the statements of the two Mercedes drivers, both fighting for the world title, different interpretations of the Malaysian Friday emerge.
Kimi described a positive day in terms of data collection: «We had a good first day on the track here in Malaysia. The Sepang International Circuit is incredible! It’s fast and smooth, really fantastic.” The Bolognese then indicated the Red Bulls as the main reference: «They seem to be the fastest both in the single lap and in terms of pace, while McLaren and Ferrari are particularly competitive with a lot of fuel on board». However, he is cautious about the quality of the asphalt: «The track had rather low grip today and it is likely that it will improve between Saturday and Sunday».
Russellon the contrary, underlined the difficulties linked to the environmental conditions and the characteristics of the circuit: «With these hot conditions, combined with the aggressive asphalt and the characteristics of the circuit, the degradation of the tires was high». The Brit then pointed the finger at a problem of aerodynamic balance: «The car here works in a very different window than usual, and I don’t think ours got to the point we needed today». But he also left a glimmer of opportunity open (and it couldn’t be otherwise, given the place at stake): “We will try to overcome the situation and if we succeed we can be on the front line for the rest of the weekend.”
The program will continue on Saturday 3 October with free practice 3 at 6.30 and finally qualifying at 10.00 Italian time. The traffic lights, however, will be turned off on Sunday 4 October, at 9:00 in the morning.
The topic of Italian taxes and the unknown for the season finale
While waiting to understand where the championship will end, with Imola and Abu Dhabi still in the balance, an unexpected topic emerged in the Sepang paddock: the Italian tax issue. It was he who raised it Valtteri Bottasdriver of Cadillac, with a joke that has the flavor of a concrete concern: «I don’t know if you’ve heard of Italian taxes… No driver really wants to race in Italy, because of what happened there».
The reference is to the case which saw foreign drivers and teams based outside Italy being considered self-employed workers on the days of activity on the track in Monza and Imola, with the respective teams not having paid the taxes generated by this work performance on Italian territory. The matter ended with the payment of the amounts due to the Revenue Agency.
The topic quickly made the rounds in the paddock. Oliver Bearman he toned it down as far as he was concerned, shifting attention to the winter weather in Imola. Verstappen he dismissed both issues with the pragmaticism that often distinguishes him: «There are worse places to stay in during the winter than Imola». And, on the tax front: «There is no tax problem. Just pay your taxes.”
Returning to Sepang, the Malaysian weekend program will continue on Saturday 3 October with free practice 3 at 6.30am and finally qualifying at 10.00am Italian time.
