Pirelli expects varied tyre strategies for Bahrain GP in Malaysia
Pirelli expects a mix of two- and three-stop plans for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with little separating its projected race times.
News Made Clear · Loading…
Newest date and time first. Filter by section, topic and date range.
Pirelli expects a mix of two- and three-stop plans for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with little separating its projected race times.
Max Verstappen qualified ahead of Lewis Hamilton at Sepang, putting the pair in that order at the front of qualifying for the first time since Abu Dhabi in 2021.
Verstappen says drivers should train for racing in the heat, while Russell wants cooling vests made compulsory in high temperatures.
Organisers moved equipment and more than 500 personnel to Malaysia, but Friday’s crowd exposed problems with facilities and access at Sepang.
Red Bull returned an unused hard-tyre set after practice, leaving Max Verstappen with one fresh set for the race at Sepang.
Verstappen topped every qualifying segment and says he is confident in his choices for the race, while Hamilton expects overtaking to be difficult.
The Mercedes driver says even a stronger final lap might only have lifted him to second or third after a disrupted qualifying session.
After Verstappen’s pole, Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies credited recent development but warned that race pace and tyre wear remain Sunday’s test.
Red Bull took second and third in final practice at Sepang, prompting former F1 driver Anthony Davidson to describe the team as Mercedes’ biggest threat.
Kimi Antonelli led final practice at Sepang ahead of Max Verstappen, giving Mercedes an encouraging result before qualifying, though team-mate George Russell was fourth.
A bollard beside the pit-lane entrance has been moved ahead of third practice, with the aim of giving drivers who run wide a way back onto the circuit.
Red Bull’s team principal says a future need to make difficult calls between Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar would be a sign of strength.
With Formula 1 due back at Portimão in 2027, Verstappen says the current cars are ill-suited to circuits and questions the quality of battery-influenced overtaking.
Isack Hadjar believes Red Bull can fight at the front this weekend, though he is still unhappy with his car’s balance.
George Russell says Mercedes must improve its tyre management after second practice at Sepang, where he and Kimi Antonelli finished seventh and eighth.
Both Red Bull drivers see the remaining 2026 races as a chance to learn, while Verstappen says the car and power unit need a much bigger step for 2027.
Isack Hadjar believes Max Verstappen’s experience in Malaysia could offer Red Bull a small advantage, while tyre management shapes his preparations.
Oliver Bearman says rain at Sepang might bring his first substantial wet-tyre running of the year. Max Verstappen had a joking answer when Bearman asked for advice.
Verstappen plans to race at Portimão later this month as World Endurance Championship commitments affect his GT driver line-up.
Franco Colapinto has praised Max Verstappen for supporting him after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix collision that brought criticism and a grid penalty.
Max Verstappen has spoken about his bond with Gianpiero Lambiase as RacingNews365 Nederland reports that his race engineer will join McLaren by 2028.
After Max Verstappen finished second in Azerbaijan, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher praised his late-race pace and backed Isack Hadjar as his Red Bull team-mate.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has praised Max Verstappen’s judgement in traffic, using a moment in Madrid to explain what impressed him.
Lewis Hamilton’s retirement on lap 41 opened the way for a Red Bull one-two at the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix, with Daniel Ricciardo holding off Max Verstappen.