Marco Rossi · F1-Korrespondent
After Verstappen's morning pace, Charles Leclerc answered with the session's best lap time on Friday afternoon, while a tense moment between Lewis Hamilton and Gabriel Bortoleto added extra intrigue.
Charles Leclerc claimed second free practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Friday afternoon at the Sepang International Circuit. The Ferrari driver posted 1:37.528, displacing morning pacesetter Max Verstappen from the top of the timing sheet, with Verstappen settling for fourth in the afternoon session. Sandwiched between them were Isack Hadjar in the second Red Bull and Lando Norris in the first McLaren, both within one and a half tenths of Leclerc's benchmark.
Ferrari Answers, Red Bull Holds Firm
The role reversal from the morning couldn't have been clearer. While Verstappen had dominated first practice ahead of Russell and Hadjar, the picture shifted dramatically in the afternoon. Leclerc remained consistently at the sharp end throughout the session and confirmed his pace all the way to the checkered flag.
Hadjar's second-place finish underlined that Red Bull's afternoon form was no fluke, though the Frenchman, as confirmed earlier in the week, faces a grid penalty for a power unit change and his time currently serves only as an indicator of pure race pace. Norris in third showed McLaren had made meaningful strides after a weaker opening session, with teammate Oscar Piastri sixth and also ahead of both Mercedes cars. Verstappen's 0.257-second gap to Leclerc is hardly catastrophic on this circuit, but it's a first sign that Red Bull no longer controlled the session the way they commanded the morning.
Mercedes Loses Ground in the Heat Test
While the front four teams battled on razor-thin margins, Mercedes found themselves losing ground. George Russell, who had run second to Verstappen in first practice, dropped to seventh in the afternoon, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli finishing eighth. According to reports, the team struggled with elevated tire wear in the hot afternoon conditions, a problem that showed up clearly in the Silver Arrows' lap times throughout the session.
For Mercedes, it's a setback at a critical moment. Sepang's combination of heat, humidity, and sweeping corners makes relentless demands on tire management, and a team losing Longrun pace in practice will face hard questions during Saturday's qualifying preparation. The competition from Maranello and Woking seized the moment, leaving Mercedes with work to do before Saturday to find their answer.
Tense Exchange Between Hamilton and Bortoleto
The most dramatic moment of the afternoon unfolded away from the pure speed battle. Approaching turn nine, Lewis Hamilton was running well off the racing line at reduced speed, while Gabriel Bortoleto in the Audi approached at pace from behind and had to take evasive action. Bortoleto radioed bluntly that the Ferrari driver had seen him coming and continued to block regardless.
Hamilton countered that he hadn't picked up anything in his right mirror and asked his team to keep him informed of the situation. The stewards opened an official investigation into a possible blocking infringement and summoned Hamilton for a hearing. Whether this triggers consequences for the weekend should become clear Saturday, but the incident already illustrates just how tight the margins can be on Sepang's narrow circuit between flying laps and traffic.
With third practice and qualifying on Saturday now in sight, the decisive session looms, when Ferrari's afternoon form will be put to the test under qualifying conditions, or whether Red Bull and McLaren come back fighting fresh, while Mercedes races against the clock to solve their tire puzzle.
