Ferrari and Charles Leclerc ended the opening day at Sepang on top of the timesheets, but the headline result tells only part of the story. Severe tyre degradation on an unusually demanding track surface has made race pace extremely difficult to interpret, with no team emerging from Friday as a clear benchmark.
Outright speed will matter in Malaysia, but the decisive factor could be how effectively each car manages its tyres over a stint. Different programmes, tyre ages and driving approaches have made direct comparisons difficult, leaving Ferrari in a promising position without establishing a clear hierarchy for the race.
Sepang asphalt becomes the defining factor
Friday at Sepang belonged to nobody completely. Ferrari and Charles Leclerc took the headlines, but both Mercedes drivers failed to complete their representative timed laps after driving errors from George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. Ferrari also lacked a completely equal comparison with Max Verstappen because Red Bull chose not to fit a set of soft tyres at any point during the second practice session.
The biggest influence was instead the circuit itself. Sepang’s asphalt was extremely dirty, with dust carried onto the racing surface by the wind contributing to very low grip. Several drivers made mistakes during the sessions, particularly under braking for the final corner.
The track surface is now around ten years old, and years of exposure to the elements have gradually worn away its upper layer, exposing more of the aggregate underneath. The result is an exceptionally rough surface, with levels of abrasiveness comparable to Bahrain.
That combination became especially punishing for the tyres, with track temperatures exceeding 50°C and generating very high thermal degradation. The behaviour of the compounds therefore became one of Friday’s central themes, reinforcing why Pirelli’s Sepang tyre selection could play an important role for Ferrari’s SF-26.
Ferrari race pace difficult to compare with rivals
Long-run performance is expected to be one of the keys to the weekend. The level of thermal degradation in Malaysia is high enough that a three-stop strategy cannot currently be ruled out, making tyre preservation potentially decisive on Sunday.
It was therefore notable that almost every team avoided using the hard compound during Friday practice, preferring to save what currently appears to be an attractive race tyre for Sunday. McLaren went even further during FP2 by not using the medium compound, preserving an additional set for the remainder of the weekend.
Teams consequently devoted more running than usual to race simulations, although those stints still failed to produce a clear favourite. The contrasting programmes can be explored further through the F1 Practice & Long-Run Analysis.
Max Verstappen completed a lengthy run on medium tyres, meaning there was no direct comparison with rivals running on softs. Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren were equally difficult to rank because each adopted a different approach in terms of initial pace, stint length, driving aggression and the age of the tyres at the beginning of each run.
Charles Leclerc shows strong pace as long runs diverge
George Russell completed the longest uninterrupted stint on a single set, running for 14 consecutive laps. His lap times progressively deteriorated by more than one second as the stint developed.
World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli attacked more aggressively than his Mercedes team-mate during the opening laps. The approach was followed by a sudden increase in degradation, however, before Kimi Antonelli returned to the pits so Mercedes could also collect data on the medium compound.
Charles Leclerc produced the fastest opening lap of the long-run comparisons and was generally quicker than or closely matched with George Russell until the Ferrari driver stopped. Lewis Hamilton’s run was less convincing by comparison.
One of the more intriguing simulations came from Lando Norris. The reigning champion began his stint very cautiously, but his pace improved as the run developed. By the later laps, Lando Norris was circulating as much as one second faster than George Russell’s Mercedes.
The varying tyre ages and stint structures underline why comparisons remain difficult. Readers can follow the compound behaviour and stint sequences through the F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis.
| George Russell | Kimi Antonelli | Charles Leclerc | Lewis Hamilton | Lando Norris | Oscar Piastri | Max Verstappen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soft +2 laps | Soft +3 laps | Soft +4 laps | Soft +5 laps | Soft +3 laps | Soft +6 laps | Medium +5 laps |
| 1:44.7 | 1:44.0 | 1:43.1 | 1:44.5 | 1:44.3 | 1:45.5 | 1:43.6 |
| 1:44.8 | 1:44.0 | 1:44.5 | 1:44.2 | 1:45.5 | 1:45.0 | 1:43.5 |
| 1:44.5 | 1:44.3 | 1:44.2 | 1:44.8 | 1:45.0 | 1:44.8 | 1:44.3 |
| 1:44.6 | 1:44.3 | 1:44.5 | 1:45.2 | 1:45.1 | 1:45.2 | 1:44.6 |
| 1:44.3 | High | 1:44.8 | High | 1:45.0 | 1:45.4 | 1:44.1 |
| 1:45.0 | 1:45.7 | 1:44.8 | 1:45.5 | 1:45.3 | 1:45.0 | 1:45.3 |
| High | 1:45.2 | 1:45.5* | 1:45.5 | 1:45.3 | 1:44.8 | 1:45.6 |
| 1:45.3 | BOX | High | 1:46.2 | 1:44.8 | 1:45.2 | 1:44.8 |
| 1:45.3 | Medium +5 laps | 1:45.3 | BOX | 1:44.9 | 1:45.1 | |
| 1:45.7 | 1:43.5 | BOX | Medium +6 laps | 1:44.7 | 1:45.0 | |
| 1:45.7 | 1:44.0 | Medium +7 laps | 1:44.5 | 1:45.5 | ||
| 1:45.8 | 1:44.8* | 1:43.6 | 1:45.5 | |||
| 1:45.8 | 1:44.9* | 1:43.5 | 1:45.7 | |||
| 1:45.8 | 1:44.6* |
* Traffic
Qualifying brings another tyre-management dilemma
The race simulations also produced some direct battles on track, including Kimi Antonelli overtaking Charles Leclerc. The move showed that passing at Sepang is possible, but that does not reduce the importance of qualifying.
Starting near the front and running in clean air would make controlling degradation easier. At the same time, keeping the tyres alive even for a single qualifying lap proved difficult on Friday, with improving on a second attempt using the same set becoming almost impossible.
That makes the qualifying approach particularly complicated. Drivers will need to balance waiting for the track to improve against the need to set a lap early enough to avoid being caught out as each session approaches its elimination point.
Teams and drivers will also need to work on both driving style and setup to limit tyre stress. In some corners, it may be necessary to manage the tyres deliberately so they remain effective until the end of the lap.
This challenge also overlaps with energy-management strategy. The fast corners in the second sector appear particularly suitable for conserving the tyres, encouraging drivers to moderate electric deployment through those sections rather than wasting energy where maximum deployment may provide less benefit.
Ferrari shows promise but Red Bull also impresses
One of Friday’s more surprising themes was Mercedes’ slow start. Sepang does not share the same characteristics as Baku, where the W17’s strengths were particularly evident, but expectations remained high after a substantial upgrade package arrived in Kuala Lumpur featuring some solutions inspired by Ferrari.
Red Bull and Max Verstappen instead made a positive impression. Even in difficult conditions, the RB22 showed how much it has developed, appearing capable of fighting for podium positions beyond circuits where engine performance is the dominant factor.
Ferrari also produced encouraging signals. The SF-26 can finally exploit its strong front end while also benefiting from its comparatively gentle behaviour on the tyres, two characteristics that could become increasingly valuable if degradation remains central to the weekend. Further analysis of the car’s behaviour can be found in the Ferrari technical analysis section.
McLaren is also expected to remain in contention, particularly over long runs. After a Friday shaped by a difficult surface, extreme degradation and widely differing programmes, however, Sepang remains a weekend with no obvious favourite and a race-pace picture that is still far from settled.
Leave a Reply