Leclerc leads Sepang's FP2, but Verstappen owns Friday's fastest time

Charles Leclerc topped a sweltering second practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, but Max Verstappen remained the fastest driver across the day after setting the benchmark in FP1.

Extreme heat reshapes the run plans

Track temperature stood just above 61°C shortly before the hour-long session began. As heavy clouds gathered and rain threatened, drivers took care to warm their tyres gradually, aiming to avoid overheating them before their push laps. The uncertain weather also prompted teams to bring forward their switch to soft tyres after initial runs on the mediums.

At the 20-minute mark, all of the top four were still on mediums. Verstappen led with a 1:37.785, a tenth clear of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. George Russell, driving a heavily upgraded Mercedes, was third, ahead of Leclerc.

The order changed when the soft-tyre runs began. Lewis Hamilton moved to within half a tenth of Verstappen before Leclerc took the top spot by a quarter of a second. Lando Norris then split Leclerc and Verstappen, ending up 0.137 seconds behind the Ferrari driver.

Isack Hadjar’s late move to softs produced another strong lap: he finished 0.099 seconds off Leclerc after setting the fastest time in the middle sector. With the rain threat passing, the session offered a clearer view of the pace on the softer tyre, while Verstappen’s medium-tyre running left his FP2 position an incomplete comparison with the leading times.

Hamilton under investigation as Bortoleto stops

Hamilton was placed under investigation after allegedly impeding Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto. The reported concern involved the right-hand wing mirror on Hamilton’s SF-26.

Hamilton finished fifth in FP2, ahead of Piastri. Russell and championship leader Kimi Antonelli were next, around half a second off the pace, with both setting their best times on mediums. Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly completed the top 10; Gasly was about a second behind, while Franco Colapinto ended the session last, almost six seconds adrift.

Bortoleto brought out a virtual safety car with two minutes remaining after stopping on track with a reported gearbox issue. For more on the venue, see our guide to the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang.