Tyre degradation dominates practice sessions at Sepang ahead of 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix
Practice at the revived Sepang circuit showed high tyre wear due to rough surface and hot, humid conditions, prompting teams to plan multi-stop strategies for Sunday’s race.
Practice sessions at the Sepang circuit, returning to the Formula One calendar for the first time since 2017, revealed significant tyre degradation caused by the track’s aged, high-macro surface, humidity and temperatures exceeding 60°C. Drivers and engineers described the wear as predictable but substantial, indicating that tyre management will be a key factor on race day.
Max Verstappen topped the first practice session, while Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in the second session, edging Isack Hadjar by a tenth of a second. Lando Norris recovered to third after a muted first session. Team principals noted the contrast with recent low-degradation events, emphasizing that race pace will now depend heavily on tyre strategy.
"I prefer to be in good shape than not, but what is true is that it will be a lot about track evolution, that we try to anticipate how the track will be tomorrow, and it's a challenge for us, but for everybody, I think. Compared to the previous events, Madrid, Monza, Baku, where we were on the low degradation side, this one is a huge degradation side, and that race pace will be mainly based on the degradation. We have to be focused on this," said Fred Vasseur, team principal of Ferrari.
Mercedes showed modest performance relative to Red Bull, with George Russell’s long stint on soft tyres slightly slower than Verstappen’s medium-tyre run. Deputy team principal Bradley Lord said recent updates increased downforce but the car still experienced understeer and front-end instability, suggesting a competitive order similar to the Hungarian Grand Prix.
McLaren improved after adjusting to the rough surface, while Audi appeared faster than Alpine in medium-to-soft tyre programmes. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso logged a shorter stint, and Williams and Cadillac struggled with the circuit’s long, combined corners.
Teams are evaluating whether a two-stop or three-stop strategy will be optimal, given the rear-limited nature of Sepang that places high lateral loads on rear tyres. Strategists anticipate that managing tyre temperature and wear will be crucial to avoid excessive pit-stop time loss.
The weather forecast showed a high probability of rain, but clouds cleared, allowing teams to gather data on long runs. With the data collected, engineers will refine their tyre-care approaches overnight to balance rear-end grip and front-end stability for Sunday’s race.