Max Verstappen emerged as a significant Bahrain Grand Prix race-pace threat to Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc on Friday at Sepang, with Red Bull producing one of the most convincing long runs on the C3 tyre. While Ferrari and Mercedes showed impressive speed on the Soft compound, Verstappen’s performance on the Medium suggested Red Bull could have a particularly useful strategic option for Sunday’s race.
The picture remains finely balanced because Sepang is placing unusual demands on the tyres. Its fast and flowing layout combines with a particularly slippery track surface, making degradation an important factor through the high-speed corners. The differences between compounds and cars seen during Friday practice could therefore have a major influence on how teams approach the race.
Max Verstappen makes the C3 work for Red Bull
Pirelli has selected the C2 as the Hard, C3 as the Medium and C4 as the Soft for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Friday’s running suggested that the C3 was neither consistently competitive nor straightforward to manage on most cars, with only a small number of teams appearing capable of extracting convincing performance from it.
Among the leading teams, Red Bull stood out. Max Verstappen completed a 13-lap stint on the Medium and produced pace comparable to George Russell’s Mercedes despite Russell running the softer C4 compound. That comparison made the Dutchman’s long run particularly noteworthy in the developing race picture.
Verstappen’s position on the FP2 timesheet did not fully reflect that underlying potential because he did not complete a run on the Soft tyre. Red Bull instead used only one set of Mediums with the four-time world champion, leaving his outright Friday lap time less representative than those of drivers who sampled the C4.
The different stint profiles can be explored further through the F1 Practice & Long-Run Analysis, which provides a useful comparison of practice performance beyond the headline lap times.
Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli answer with strong Soft pace
Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc nevertheless provided a convincing response on the Soft tyre. Both showed highly competitive race pace on the C4, although their averages need to be viewed in the context of how their respective runs were structured.
Rather than extending the same stint in the manner of George Russell, Antonelli and Leclerc elected to fit a second set of tyres. Their average lap times consequently benefited from fresher rubber, making a direct comparison with Russell’s longer run less straightforward.
Verstappen being faster than Russell while using the Medium also offers an early indication of how Sunday’s compound choices could develop. The C3 and C2 could become the preferred options for longer race stints, while the C4 Soft may be better suited to shorter periods of running.
For Ferrari, Leclerc’s pace remains an encouraging element of the weekend. It also comes after the Monegasque secured a front-row starting position for Ferrari in Baku, although the demands of Sepang are presenting a very different technical and strategic challenge.
Bahrain GP tyre degradation could open strategic options
Tyre degradation was particularly pronounced on Friday, potentially making pit-stop strategy a decisive part of the Bahrain Grand Prix. The estimated time loss for a stop is 22.5 seconds, so any attempt to make an additional visit to the pits in exchange for fresher tyres will depend on whether the pace advantage is large enough to recover that deficit against a rival remaining on track.
Based on Friday’s race runs, that performance difference appears to exist. Whether an extra stop becomes worthwhile, however, will also depend heavily on overtaking. Fresh tyres provide limited strategic value if a driver cannot use the resulting pace advantage to clear traffic efficiently.
The compound behaviour and stint lengths will therefore be crucial when the teams formulate their race plans, with the evolving picture available through the F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis.
Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull remain in the Bahrain GP fight
Friday did not produce an obvious answer as to which driver has the strongest chance of victory. Antonelli and Leclerc were extremely quick during their shorter stints and closely matched, while Verstappen appeared to hold an advantage over Russell in the long-run comparison.
That puts Verstappen among the drivers capable of playing a leading role on Sunday. Defeating Mercedes is unlikely to be straightforward, but Red Bull’s Medium-tyre performance indicates that the Dutchman has the tools to challenge if the same pace carries into the race.
Mercedes remains an important benchmark after the strength of the W17 during the 2026 season, while Kimi Antonelli’s results have underlined the W17’s competitiveness. At Sepang, however, Friday’s long runs suggest the race may not simply develop into another Mercedes-controlled contest.
Ferrari and McLaren also remain firmly in contention based on their Friday performance. For the Scuderia in particular, Leclerc’s pace provides encouragement, but the combination of significant degradation, differing compound performance and Red Bull’s strength on the C3 means the Bahrain Grand Prix remains difficult to predict heading into the rest of the weekend.
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