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McLaren have detailed what caught them “a little bit by surprise” on the first day of track action at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with Oscar Piastri suggesting that the team appear to be a “tiny step behind” their rivals at the front. After Piastri and Lando Norris ended FP1 in 11th and 12th on the timesheets respectively, the squad looked to have made progress during the second session as Norris climbed up to P3, while Piastri set the sixth-fastest time of the hour....

Friday saw Mercedes' new package of upgrades break cover in Malaysia, but the day did not go entirely to plan for the Silver Arrows, with some of their rivals getting out of the blocks faster in both practice sessions. George Russell was the quicker of the two Mercedes drivers, coming home second in FP1 in an encouraging start for the team, albeit nearly four tenths down on Max Verstappen’s benchmark....

Max Verstappen was left satisfied with a “positive” first day on track at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, despite admitting to still having some “things to figure out” amid challenging conditions. After narrowly missing out on a first victory of the season last weekend in Azerbaijan, Verstappen voiced his hope during Thursday’s media day of taking a win before the season is over - and while there is still plenty of action ahead, the Red Bull driver threw the gauntlet down by going fastest in first practice at Sepang....

Charles Leclerc has highlighted what will be the “main talking point” in Sepang as he namechecked Red Bull and Mercedes as standouts in the competitive order. Ferrari looked to enjoy a positive day of running during the first two sessions of on-track action at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with the Monegasque finishing fourth in FP1 before going on to top the timesheets in FP2. Team mate Lewis Hamilton was also in the upper echelons of the order with a P6 and P5 in first and second practice respectively....

Red Bull Max Verstappen topped the opening session for Red Bull by a comfortable margin, and with Isack Hadjar in P3, the car looked strong out of the box. There were some question marks about overheating, but the same could be said for most of the field. In the second session, Hadjar impressed again with p2, while Verstappen was fourth, but crucially was the only driver not to run the soft tyre, thus setting his lap time on the mediums....

Let’s cut to the chase. Who are the favourites? Formula 1’s return to Sepang for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia got off to a competitive start, with the top four teams within four tenths of a second of each other in second practice. But who is showing signs of emerging as the one to beat as degradation dominated the radio and post-session chatter? I’m not trying to dodge the question, honest - but it’s really too close to call according to our data....

Any Ferrari Formula 1 Team Principal is always in the spotlight, and in the case of Fred Vasseur the gossip ramped up over the Baku weekend in the wake of former Red Bull chief Christian Horner’s suggestion that he would welcome a role with the Maranello-based team. Not surprisingly, that fuelled speculation that Vasseur is under pressure, and that Horner was a possible candidate to replace him. Just before the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia weekend kicked off, Ferrari moved to dampen the speculation with a media call, where it was made clear that Vasseur had the full support of the team - and, most importantly, both its Chairman John Elkann and Chief Executive Officer Benedetto Vigna....

Esteban Ocon has explained that while he is leaving the Haas project “with my head high”, his intention is to continue competing in Formula 1, even if that involves temporarily switching to a reserve driver position. With almost all of the seats on the 2027 grid now filled - excluding Racing Bulls and Haas - Ocon recently confirmed that he would leave the American team when the current campaign concludes....

Max Verstappen has set out his aim to “at least win one race this year”, with the Dutchman encouraged that he is getting close to that target following a series of podium finishes. Red Bull currently sit in fourth place of the Teams' Championship, the squad having faced a trickier first half of the season than their rivals at the front. However, the Milton Keynes-based outfit look to have made progress during recent Grands Prix, culminating in a 2-3 result for Verstappen and team mate Isack Hadjar in Azerbaijan....

Fernando Alonso has outlined the factors that influenced his decision to continue racing with Aston Martin into 2027, with the Spaniard admitting that he still feels “that fire inside” as he prepares for his 24th season in Formula 1. After speculation over his future in recent months following a tough start to the campaign for the team, it was announced ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia that Alonso has extended his contract with Aston Martin....

Pierre Gasly believes that Alpine have “got to look ahead” and focus on the Constructors' Championship for the rest of the season, with the Frenchman happy to move on from his team mate’s “unfortunate mistake” that saw them collide in Baku. On the Safety Car restart in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Franco Colapinto locked up and drove into the side of Gasly’s car, pushing him into the McLaren of Lando Norris and forcing all three to retire....

Kimi Antonelli has voiced his belief that George Russell has “got the momentum” following his victory last time out in Azerbaijan, with the Italian expecting a “tough challenge” ahead during the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia weekend. There were mixed fortunes for the Mercedes drivers in Baku, as Antonelli found himself starting from P16 on the grid following a crash during the first segment of Qualifying while Russell surged to pole position....

Lewis Hamilton has offered his perspective on the “negative narrative” surrounding Fred Vasseur’s tenure as Ferrari Team Principal, giving his support to the Frenchman at a time when he believes “outside sources” seek to “break our spirit”. Ferrari’s lack of podiums over the last five rounds fuelled speculation that Vasseur’s position was at risk, stoked further by comments from former Red Bull boss Christian Horner, who labelled the Scuderia his “dream” destination....

Mercedes are set to introduce a long-awaited upgrade package at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, leaving George Russell optimistic that he can build on the momentum from his recent win in Baku and get “back on top”. Just as Kimi Antonelli’s lead in the drivers' standings had crept up to 81 points, Russell converted his superb pole position lap into victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen by less than two tenths over the line....

Ferrari were the talk of the town as the Formula 1 paddock returned to Sepang for the first time in around a decade to play host to the Bahrain Grand Prix. Team Principal Fred Vasseur’s future has been the subject of speculation in recent weeks, with the team on a run of five Grands Prix without a podium. But the team said they backed the Frenchman earlier in the week and on Thursday, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc strongly voiced their support, too....

Lando Norris has reflected on the apology he made to Franco Colapinto over his post-race comments at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the Briton conceding that he got “caught up in the heat of the moment” in Baku. A lock-up from Colapinto at Turn 1 during the first Safety Car restart saw the Alpine driver run into team mate Pierre Gasly, which resulted in the Frenchman hitting the McLaren of Norris....