Leclerc Tops a Tight Friday at Sepang as Mercedes Fluff Their Lines
Formula 1's first Friday in Malaysia since 2017 ended with Charles Leclerc on top. His 1:37.528 in second practice was 0.099s clear of Isack Hadjar and 0.137s ahead of Lando Norris, with the top ten covered by barely a second. Max Verstappen, the last man to win here and fastest in FP1 by nearly four tenths from George Russell, settled for fourth in the evening on mediums and never bothered with a soft-tyre qualifying run.
Mercedes arrived with a substantial upgrade — bodywork, floor, diffuser, rear suspension — and a Petronas tribute livery, and left with homework. Russell and Kimi Antonelli both lost their soft-tyre laps in the final sector and finished seventh and eighth; Russell also understeered over the pit-entry bollard at the last corner. McLaren, 11th and 12th at lunchtime and each car on a different rear wing, had both drivers in the top six by dusk. A late Virtual Safety Car for Gabriel Bortoleto's stricken Audi and a rain shower that threatened all afternoon but never came completed the day.
The grid is being rearranged before anyone sets a qualifying lap: Hadjar takes a five-place drop for his seventh engine of the year, Arvid Lindblad starts from the back, and Franco Colapinto carries 15 places in total. Antonelli leads Russell 302 to 236. Qualifying is Saturday at 16:00 local, 08:00 UTC.
Evans Pays for Sweeping the Road, and Sardinia's Title Decider Is Wide Open
Running first on loose gravel is a tax on a championship leader, and Elfyn Evans paid it in full on Friday: sixth overall, 56.6s behind Thierry Neuville, who won the last two stages of the day to take the lead from Hyundai team-mate Adrien Fourmaux by four tenths. Oliver Solberg, quickest in shakedown and on Thursday night's superspecial, shrugged off early tyre damage to sit third, 12.3s off the lead. Sébastien Ogier is fourth and Sami Pajari fifth.
Coming in it was Evans 230, Pajari 213, Solberg 209, with 35 points on offer. Saturday brings six more stages; the title is settled on Sunday's Power Stage at 14:15 local — the final act of the last Rally Italia Sardegna.
Around the Paddock
Álex Márquez sets the Friday pace; points leader Martín only eighth
The Gresini rider topped Friday practice in Japan, reportedly on a new lap record, with Pedro Acosta second and Marc Márquez third. Takaaki Nakagami broke his collarbone on his home wildcard and is out. Sprint Saturday, 15:00 local.
Larson wins at Kansas and stretches his Chase lead to 26
Kyle Larson took the Hollywood Casino 400 and now leads Denny Hamlin by 26 points, with Christopher Bell 50 back and Joey Logano 67. Las Vegas is next, Sunday evening.
Toyota's fuel gamble turns a chaotic Fuji into a home win
The No. 8 of Hirakawa, Buemi and Hartley fuelled only to the finish under the final Safety Car and it paid off; the pole-sitting No. 36 Alpine was second. The No. 8 now leads the championship with two rounds left.
It's official: Lundgaard takes over Dixon's No. 9 at Ganassi
Christian Lundgaard leaves Arrow McLaren after a two-win, third-in-points season to join Alex Palou and Kyffin Simpson on a multi-year deal.
Ocon: out at Haas, not out of F1
Esteban Ocon says he still wants a race seat for 2027 and would consider a reserve role in the meantime. Haas and Racing Bulls are the only teams with openings left.
Singapore next week, and its first-ever sprint
Marina Bay runs 9-11 October: the sprint at 17:00 local on Saturday, the 62-lap Grand Prix at 20:00 on Sunday (12:00 UTC).