SEPANG: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc shone in the second free practice session after topping the chart at the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026 here on Friday.
Leclerc, who finished fourth with 1 minute 38.367 seconds (s) in the opening practice session earlier Friday, set the fastest lap of 1:37.528s.
Red Bull Racing driver Isack Hadjar finished second, just 0.099s behind Leclerc with a time of 1:37.627s, while reigning world champion from McLaren Lando Norris, was third in 1:37.665s.
Meanwhile, first free practice topper Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing settled for fourth after clocking 1:37.785s.
In the meantime Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team George Russell finish seventh 1:38.020s while his compatriot who are the current drivers’ championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished eighth with a time of 1:38.060s.
The third and final free practice session is scheduled to begin at 12.30pm today (Saturday) before the qualifying session later in the day.
In July, Formula 1 confirmed Malaysia as the host of the Gulf Air Bahrain GP from Oct 2 to 4, following an agreement between Formula 1, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and the governments of Malaysia and Bahrain.
The agreement keeps the Bahrain GP on the 2026 F1 calendar after the race was cancelled earlier this season due to geopolitical tensions in West Asia.
Malaysia previously hosted the Malaysian GP at SIC from 1999 to 2017 before the race was dropped from the F1 calendar.
