Red Bull’s Max Verstappen topped the timesheets as Formula 1 returned to the Sepang track for the first time in nine years for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Verstappen was 0.383 seconds faster than George Russell, who won in Azerbaijan last week in an upgraded Mercedes.
Second Red Bull Isack Hadjar was third, 0.783 seconds off the pace, separating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc from team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes of championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly was seventh fastest, ahead of Racing Bulls Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, who will start at the back of the grid as a result of a grid penalty for using too many engine parts.
Hadcar also has a grid penalty – expected to be five places – for the same reason.
F1 has returned to this year’s calendar due to the circumstances of the turn of the last century and this track, which is considered one of the best layouts of the new generation of circuits.
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races were canceled earlier in the year due to the war in the Middle East.
However, Bahrain was interested in hosting the races and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa negotiated to hold the race in Malaysia.
The track hosts a number of events related to Bahrain, the trophy presented will be the Bahrain Grand Prix trophy and the podium will be sprinkled with rose water rather than champagne.
The first session was marked by drivers commenting on the high level of tire degradation caused by the abrasive surface, and Russell found this particularly high in the Mercedes.
Asked on a race simulation run late in the session, his tires were said to have worn more than Verstappen’s.
Mercedes has unveiled its first major upgrade since the Canadian Grand Prix with a new floor and rear bodywork.
They expected McLaren to be the team to beat at this track, but they had a poor first session, finishing 11th and 12th with world champions Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.