Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets in Free Practice 2 for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, the Ferrari driver finishing ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and McLaren’s Lando Norris at the Sepang International Circuit.
Following a dry and sunny opening practice session, the threat of rain loomed over the second hour of running, with forecasts indicating a 90 per cent chance of precipitation. As a result, all 22 drivers headed out shortly after the pit lane opened at 1600 local time, keen to gather valuable data before conditions potentially changed.
Most initially opted for the Medium tyres, although both McLaren and Cadillac drivers, alongside Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, began on the Soft compound.
Max Verstappen continued where he had left off in FP1, setting an early benchmark of 1:37.785s to lead Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.235s. Leclerc initially placed third, ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
With rain still threatening, several drivers switched to soft tyres around 15 minutes into the session, earlier than would normally be expected. Russell and Antonelli both attempted flying laps, but neither Mercedes driver improved, with Antonelli having his time deleted for exceeding track limits.
There was also a close encounter between Hamilton and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, who took avoiding action after encountering the Ferrari moving slowly on the racing line. The incident was noted by the stewards, with Hamilton subsequently reporting visibility issues with his right-hand mirror.
As the skies began to clear, Leclerc moved to the top with a 1:37.528s, putting him 0.137s ahead of Norris, who had made set-up adjustments following a difficult opening session. Hadjar then split the pair with a 1:37.627s, leaving the top three separated by just 0.137s.
Verstappen remained on the Medium compound, while most of the field concentrated on longer runs as the session progressed. Bortoleto and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad provided some on-track action, engaging in a prolonged battle that included several exchanges of position.
The Audi driver later asked his team to inspect the floor of his car after running wide, before bringing out the Virtual Safety Car in the closing stages when his machine stopped in the middle sector. Yellow flags were deployed with two minutes remaining, ending any prospect of late improvements.
Leclerc’s earlier effort therefore remained unbeaten, with Hadjar second and Norris third. Verstappen finished fourth, ahead of Hamilton and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who recovered from 11th in FP1 to take sixth.
Russell and Antonelli were seventh and eighth respectively, followed by Liam Lawson and Gasly completing the top 10.
Lindblad finished 11th, ahead of Bortoleto, Nico Hülkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso, Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, Alex Albon, Sergio Pérez and Franco Colapinto.
2026 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia – Free Practice 2
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:37.528 29 204.605
2 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:37.627 0.099 23 204.398
3 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:37.665 0.137 25 204.318
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:37.785 0.257 20 204.068
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:37.833 0.305 28 203.967
6 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:37.899 0.371 26 203.830
7 George Russell Mercedes 1:38.020 0.492 28 203.578
8 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:38.060 0.532 28 203.495
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:38.496 0.968 30 202.595
10 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:38.588 1.060 29 202.405
11 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:38.880 1.352 33 201.808
12 Gabirel Bortoleto Audi 1:39.051 1.523 25 201.459
13 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:39.109 1.581 30 201.341
14 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:39.361 1.833 29 200.831
15 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:39.478 1.950 28 200.595
16 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:39.706 2.178 30 200.136
17 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:39.930 2.402 31 199.687
18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:40.150 2.622 26 199.249
19 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:40.186 2.658 27 199.177
20 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:40.221 2.693 30 199.107
21 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:40.938 3.410 28 197.693
22 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:43.391 5.863 31 193.003
