Charles Leclerc nailed Free Practice 2 at the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, clocking a 1:37.528 at the Sepang International Circuit to head Isack Hadjar and Lando Norris. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton completed the top five, but it's what happened behind them that's got everyone talking. The heat was absolutely brutal, and it showed in the times, with Leclerc actually slower than Verstappen's FP1 effort despite topping the second session.

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McLaren came alive during the afternoon run after a quiet morning where they finished P11 and P12. The MCL40s showed the best long run pace back in FP1, and that momentum carried into FP2 with Norris cracking the top three. Rain threatened the second hour of running with a 90 percent chance forecast, but the weather gods decided to stay away from the track an hour outside Kuala Lumpur. That said, the humidity was relentless, affecting everyone's setup and performance.

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Mercedes has some real work to do heading into qualifying. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli were mysteriously quiet, finishing down in seventh and eighth respectively. The W17s looked to be struggling with tyre degradation on Sepang's abrasive surface, and the oppressive heat certainly didn't help their cause. That's a concerning position for the Silver Arrows heading into the business end of the weekend, especially with the pace McLaren and Ferrari are showing.

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Gabriel Bortoleto's session ended with a bang, stopping his Audi out on track with just a couple of minutes left on the clock. The VSC came out to recover his car, effectively ending any final improvements for the field. It was a messy way to wrap up FP2, but at least everyone got the running they needed to dial in their setups for the evening debrief and tomorrow's qualifying battle.

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