Leclerc leads Hadjar and Norris in Sepang FP2

Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in second practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, leading Isack Hadjar and Lando Norris in a dry session at Sepang. The Ferrari driver’s lap of 1 minute 37.528 seconds put him 0.099 seconds ahead of Hadjar and 0.137 seconds ahead of Norris. The session unfolded under a forecast of a 90% chance of rain, prompting all 22 drivers to take to the track early. The rain did not arrive. Teams moved to soft tyres around 15 to 20 minutes into the hour, earlier than usual, to secure representative laps in case conditions changed. Leclerc took the lead on the soft compound. Hadjar, driving for Red Bull, also used softs to claim second, while Norris was third for McLaren. Max Verstappen, who had set the early benchmark, finished fourth, 0.257 seconds off Leclerc’s pace. His fastest lap came on medium tyres, unlike the top three, who set their best times on softs. Lewis Hamilton was fifth in the second Ferrari, 0.305 seconds behind his teammate, and Oscar Piastri placed sixth for McLaren. Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished seventh and eighth, respectively, 0.492 and 0.532 seconds off the lead.