Video: Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris share friendly paddock moment at Sepang

Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris shared a warm paddock reunion at Sepang ahead of the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix, offering a relaxed moment between the two British drivers shortly before attention turned fully to the race. Ferrari highlighted the encounter on its official social channels, capturing the positive mood around Lewis Hamilton as he prepares to start from the front row.

The timing makes the moment particularly notable for Ferrari supporters. Lewis Hamilton qualified second and will line up behind Max Verstappen, giving the seven-time world champion a major opportunity to challenge from the opening stages. Lando Norris, meanwhile, is set to start fifth for McLaren after the grid order changed following a penalty elsewhere in the field.

Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris share relaxed Sepang paddock moment

Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris appeared in good spirits together in the Sepang paddock before the race, exchanging a friendly greeting in a scene that contrasted with the competitive stakes awaiting them on track.

Ferrari accompanied the moment with the message: “Bringing this energy into our Sunday 🤝.” The post placed the emphasis firmly on the upbeat atmosphere around the team before a race in which Lewis Hamilton will start from one of his strongest positions of the weekend.

LANDO & LEWIS ❤️ pic.twitter.com/z5JztXSHCW

— ray (@ln4norris) October 4, 2026

There was no suggestion that the interaction carried any sporting significance beyond the friendly reunion itself. It instead offered a brief reminder of the personal relationships that continue to exist between drivers even when they are competing for different teams and positions.

Ferrari enters the Bahrain GP from the front row

For Ferrari, the immediate focus remains the race. Lewis Hamilton’s second-place qualifying result puts the Scuderia alongside Max Verstappen at the sharp end of the grid, while the atmosphere around the paddock moment reflected the confidence and energy Ferrari chose to project ahead of Sunday’s start.

Lando Norris faces a different challenge from fifth place for McLaren. The British driver remains close enough to the leading group to be part of the early race picture, although the supplied information does not establish how the opening stint or strategy is expected to develop.

Ferrari leans into positive energy before the start

The significance of Ferrari’s post lies less in the sporting consequences and more in the tone surrounding Lewis Hamilton before the Bahrain GP at Sepang. With the British driver starting second, the team has a genuine front-row presence, while the exchange with Lando Norris provided a lighter moment before the pressure of the Grand Prix.

For fans, it was a simple but appealing paddock scene: two British Formula 1 rivals sharing an easy interaction before returning to separate teams and very different starting positions. Ferrari’s decision to amplify it underlined the upbeat mood it wanted to carry into race day.