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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.
What has changed? · 03/10/2026, 15:57 UTC
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RacingNews365’s session classification puts Verstappen on top with a 1:37.520 lap on soft tyres. Mercedes driver George Russell was second, 0.383 seconds behind, while Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar was third, 0.783 seconds off the pace. All three set their listed best laps on soft tyres. [1]
The order changed during the session. Russell initially got within 0.05 seconds of Verstappen while using medium tyres against the Red Bull driver’s softs. Verstappen then improved on a fresh set of soft tyres after other teams switched to the compound, RacingNews365 reported. [1]
Drivers also complained about a lack of grip during the session. Charles Leclerc described wear on the medium tyres as “insane”, according to RacingNews365. [1]
Max Verstappen topped the first free-practice session at Sepang with a lap of 1min 37.520sec. Mercedes driver George Russell was second in 1min 37.903sec, 0.383sec behind the Red Bull driver. [2]
Verstappen’s team-mate Isack Hadjar was third, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. That put two Red Bulls in the top three of the opening session. [2]
RacingNews365 says Sepang is hosting the Bahrain Grand Prix in place of Sakhir, with Formula 1 returning to the Malaysian circuit after nine years away. [2]
Max Verstappen set the fastest time in first practice at Sepang, with Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar third behind George Russell. But team principal Laurent Mekies cautioned against reading too much into the result, in remarks to Sky Sports F1 reported by RacingNews365. [3]
Mekies said both Red Bull drivers quickly found a rhythm in difficult conditions. He called the session a good starting point, while expecting other teams to improve as they learnt how to handle the heat. In his view, high temperatures, heavy tyre demands and the rough track surface had pushed teams away from their preferred operating range.
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Mekies said teams were still trying to get their cars back into that range, and that their place in the competitive order would become clearer soon. [3]
Max Verstappen took his first pole position of 2026 at Sepang on Saturday, qualifying nearly 0.3 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who will join him on the front row. The result follows Red Bull’s strong showing in practice and gives the team a promising starting position for the race. [4]
BBC Sport reports that Red Bull’s latest upgrade is centred on a new floor and assesses that it has worked well at Sepang. Verstappen said parts added to the car had improved its lap time and balance. [4]
Verstappen’s team-mate Isack Hadjar qualified third but will start eighth after a penalty for exceeding his permitted allocation of engine parts. Kimi Antonelli moves up to third on the grid. Mercedes’ latest update has yet to deliver the improvement it expected, though it remains unclear whether the parts or Sepang’s heat and rough surface are responsible. [4]
Verstappen took his first pole position of the season at Sepang, with Hamilton second in qualifying, RacingNews365 reports. The publication also identifies it as the first pole for Red Bull-Ford Powertrains [5].
The distinction is the order, not the pairing: Hamilton qualified ahead of Verstappen at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix by 0.003 seconds. RacingNews365 counts Sepang as their 15th shared front row in qualifying [5].