Reaction to Bahrain GP (in Malaysia) practice

Key takeaways

• Sepang's return came fast and is already paying off. The Bahrain Grand Prix is being run in Malaysia, with Bahrain's money making it happen and only 68 days between confirmation and the weekend. Practice produced real racing, including Bortoleto and Lindblad swapping places for several laps and then going three wide into turn one with Leclerc. The hosts say the wide track and low grip let drivers try different lines, and they rate the first two corners as a better version of China's.
• Verstappen and the Mercedes pair look like the pace-setters, but FP2 hid the picture. Verstappen, Russell and Hadjar led FP1. In FP2 Leclerc topped the order, with Hadjar and Norris behind him. Verstappen, Russell and Antonelli all set their times on mediums rather than softs, and FP2 finished eight thousandths slower than FP1, which the hosts call a near-unprecedented result for a dry session. They treat FP1 as the better guide and see a real shot at pole and a first win this year for Verstappen, who has been on the podium consistently since Barcelona.
• Tyres could force two or three stops. The track has low grip, abrasive tarmac and track temperatures above 50 degrees, and Pirelli brought the middle compounds (C2, C3, C4). Antonelli called it the lowest grip he has felt in an F1 car. The hosts want a close split between two- and three-stop plans, not a one-stop procession, though they worry that heavy tyre management could dull the racing. They expect some midfield drivers to try long runs on hards, which have barely been used.
• McLaren and Aston Martin are the awkward stories. McLaren were about 1.7 seconds off in FP1 and looked hard to drive, then improved to third and sixth in FP2, with Norris just over a tenth behind Leclerc. The hosts still put them about half a second behind the Mercedes cars and Verstappen. Alonso ran 14th and 15th, about two seconds off, which they treat as respectable for Aston Martin given Stroll's claim that the team loses two seconds to engine power alone. Alonso has committed to staying, with the Honda engine as the obvious limit.
• Grid penalties and a layout oddity add complications. Lindblad starts from the back. Colapinto takes a five-place penalty for Baku and a ten-place penalty for a new combustion engine. Hadjar likely takes five places for his seventh engine. The pit entry bollard at the final corner also worries the hosts: under the race director's notes, a driver who misses the corner on the right side must drive through the pit lane. Lawson, Antonelli and probably Bottas cut back onto the track instead, and the hosts expect the rule to change before Sunday.
• Rain is forecast but both hosts say they don't want it. Tommy predicted no rain and Matt predicted a wet race, so the forecast matters for their predictions game. Both argue that a wet race would likely be worse than a dry one, because spray and low grip would produce a procession, and they dislike a weekend dominated by "will it rain?" talk. A late shower in the race is the one scenario they would welcome.

Notable moments

• Matt reports being recognised at a lunch in a small Tuscan town and gives the fan a shout-out.
• The hosts joke that Formula One cars make rain impossible. A Piastri fan account noted that he has never used full wets in a competitive session.
• The pole grid box was painted on the wrong side and had to be repainted, and reportedly sat ahead of the timing line. The hosts joke that the paint came from Bahrain.
• The board backed Fred Vasseur again after more Christian Horner-to-Ferrari talk. The hosts argue the media want that story more than any team does.
• The Verstappen interview has passed 1.3 million views, and the hosts thank listeners for the reaction.
• Stroll drove in a way the hosts call bizarre, turning the wheel about 180 degrees on a fast left, with the slow-motion replay showing tyre tread appearing on the track.
• Hamilton blocked Bortoleto in practice after saying he couldn't see in his right mirror. The hosts joke that Ferrari should give him an F1-game-style track map, and they criticise Ferrari's radio communication.

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