Overview
- On Saturday Max Verstappen set a 1:35.130 to take pole for the Bahrain Grand Prix staged at Sepang, finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar.
- Mercedes showed one‑lap pace in final practice when Kimi Antonelli led FP3 with a 1:36.302 after the team ran a heavily upgraded W17 and did simulator work on low‑speed balance.
- Tyre degradation on Sepang’s resurfaced, high‑temperature track has reduced soft tyres to single‑flying‑lap uses, and several drivers face engine‑related grid penalties that will reshuffle starting positions.
- At Motegi Jorge Martin took MotoGP pole with a new lap record of 1:42.371 while Maverick Vinales returned from shoulder rehab to qualify 19th and said his immediate goal is simply to finish the race.
- Marco Bezzecchi escaped a near‑highside at Motegi’s Turn 11 and returned to the pits, and Honda wildcard Takaaki Nakagami crashed at the same corner and was ruled out of the weekend.