Max Verstappen laid down an early marker for Red Bull on Friday, topping a lively opening practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia as Formula 1 returned to Sepang after a nine-year absence.
The four-time world champion clocked a 1m37.520s to edge Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.383s, while Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar completed the top three in an encouraging start for the Milton Keynes squad.
With teams arriving at Sepang carrying no recent data, the opening minutes were predictably busy as drivers headed out to reacquaint themselves with the notoriously demanding circuit.
Most opted for the medium tyre, with Russell initially setting the benchmark at 1m38.932s, more than half a second clear of Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli.
Red Bull, however, had other ideas.
Both Verstappen and Hadjar immediately switched to the soft compound, giving them an early grip advantage. Verstappen duly went quickest with a 1m38.883s, while Hadjar struggled somewhat more to unlock the RB22, including an understeer moment at the final hairpin.
Grip was only one of the challenges. Sepang’s heat and humidity also proved punishing, with track temperatures contributing to a demanding first hour.
“This is the craziest I’ve ever been in my life with temperatures,” admitted Audi rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, who was more than 2.6 seconds off the pace midway through the session.
As more teams moved onto the soft tyre in the second half, the order began to tighten.
Hadjar initially lowered Red Bull’s benchmark to 1m38.303s, before Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton moved within 0.064s and 0.287s respectively.
Russell then reclaimed the top spot with a 1m37.903s, underlining the pace of Mercedes’ upgraded W17.
Verstappen’s response was emphatic.
With 25 minutes remaining, the Dutchman produced a 1m37.520s to move 0.383s clear of Russell. Neither Mercedes nor Red Bull improved during the closing stages as teams returned to harder compounds and concentrated on longer-run and setup work.
Leclerc ended the session fourth, 0.847s off Verstappen, while championship leader Antonelli settled for fifth in 1m38.580s.
The Italian appeared less comfortable than usual, finishing just 0.010s behind Hamilton, who was sixth.
Pierre Gasly put Alpine seventh ahead of Racing Bulls duo Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, with Nico Hulkenberg completing the top ten for Audi.
McLaren endured a muted opening hour, with Oscar Piastri 11th and 1.756s off the pace. Reigning world champion Lando Norris followed in 12th, just 0.017s behind his team-mate.
With FP1 offering only an initial glimpse of the competitive picture, Red Bull nonetheless left Sepang with the clearest statement of intent.
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