Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in FP2 at the 2026 Bahrain GP in Malaysia, putting Ferrari on top at the Sepang International Circuit.
Leclerc produced a 1:37.528 on the soft tyre to finish just 0.099 seconds clear of Isack Hadjar for Red Bull Racing, with Lando Norris only another 0.038s behind for McLaren.
FP1 pace-setter Max Verstappen finished fourth despite not completing a soft-tyre qualifying run, while Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top five.
George Russell and championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished seventh and eighth for Mercedes after both lost time with mistakes on their fastest laps.
2026 Bahrain GP FP2 results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:37.528 |
| 2 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +0.099 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.137 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.257 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.305 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.371 |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.492 |
| 8 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.532 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.968 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.060 |
| 11 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1.352 |
| 12 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | – |
| 13 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1.581 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.833 |
| 15 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +1.950 |
| 16 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +2.178 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +2.402 |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +2.622 |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +2.658 |
| 20 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +2.693 |
| 21 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +3.410 |
| 22 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +5.863 |
Leclerc leads tightly packed fight at Sepang
Verstappen initially carried his FP1 form into the second session, moving ahead of Russell on the medium tyre as teams hurried through their programmes with rain threatening around Sepang.
Once the soft tyres appeared, however, the order changed quickly. Leclerc put together the best lap with a 1:37.528, edging Hadjar by less than a tenth and Norris by 0.137s.
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Hadjar’s pace continued an encouraging start to the weekend for Red Bull Racing, although the Frenchman is set to carry a five-place grid penalty after taking a new internal combustion engine.
Norris gave McLaren a much stronger indication of its potential after the team spent FP1 comparing rear-wing configurations. Oscar Piastri backed that up in sixth, only 0.371s away from the benchmark.
Perhaps the most intriguing time was Verstappen’s fourth place. The Dutchman stayed on the medium tyre for his longer running and never completed the comparable soft-tyre qualifying simulation that most of his rivals used.
That leaves the true one-lap potential of Red Bull Racing uncertain heading into Saturday. Verstappen was only 0.257s behind Leclerc despite the tyre difference, having also topped FP1 by nearly four tenths.
Mercedes mistakes cost time as Bortoleto stops late
Mercedes ended the session lower than its earlier pace suggested, with both drivers making errors during their soft-tyre attempts.
Russell ran wide through the final corner and abandoned one lap, while Antonelli also went wide at the same point and had his time deleted. Earlier medium-tyre running had placed Russell second and Antonelli fourth, suggesting the final classification did not tell the full story.
Liam Lawson was ninth for Racing Bulls, with Pierre Gasly completing the top 10 for Alpine. The session ended under Virtual Safety Car conditions after Gabriel Bortoleto stopped his Audi on track. Initial indications pointed towards a possible hydraulic, gearbox or drive-related problem after the Brazilian lost power and removed the steering wheel.
Despite a 90 percent forecast of rain at the start of FP2, the expected shower ultimately stayed away and teams were able to complete extensive dry running. That provided valuable long-run information as they continued to assess tyre degradation in Sepang’s hot and demanding conditions. Pasted markdown
Bahrain GP FP2 results FAQs
Charles Leclerc was fastest in FP2 at the 2026 Bahrain GP in Malaysia, setting a 1:37.528 for Ferrari.
Isack Hadjar finished second for Red Bull Racing, only 0.099 seconds behind Leclerc.
Lando Norris finished third for McLaren, 0.137 seconds away from the fastest time.
Max Verstappen finished fourth, 0.257 seconds behind Leclerc, despite not completing a soft-tyre qualifying run.
Kimi Antonelli finished eighth for Mercedes, 0.532 seconds off the pace after losing time with a mistake at the final corner.
Gabriel Bortoleto stopped on track late in FP2, triggering a Virtual Safety Car as Audi investigated a possible hydraulic, gearbox or drive-related issue.
Yes. Hadjar is set to receive a five-place grid penalty for taking a new internal combustion engine.
