Verstappen sets early Q2 pace at Sepang for Red Bull
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 3, 2026
Early Q2 benchmark
Max Verstappen set the early pace in Q2 at Sepang International Circuit with a 1:35.696 on soft tires. Charles Leclerc followed in second, 0.274 seconds back, and Lewis Hamilton was third, 0.336 behind Verstappen, putting the front of the field tightly packed. Verstappen had finished second to Kimi Antonelli in final practice. Qualifying was scheduled later Saturday, and Verstappen’s opening marker gave Red Bull the immediate benchmark in the fight for the front rows. Leclerc and Hamilton stayed close enough to keep the session alive.
Antonelli tops practice
Antonelli owned final practice with a 1:36.302 lap in an upgraded Mercedes, and he put that time down before the session was interrupted by a red flag after debris from Oliver Bearman’s Haas was found at Turn 10. Verstappen finished second in the session, 0.278 seconds behind Antonelli, which kept him within striking distance even as the Mercedes driver set the standard. Isack Hadjar was third, George Russell fourth, Charles Leclerc fifth and Hamilton sixth, giving the top six a familiar look with several front-running names clustered together. Lando Norris took seventh, Oscar Piastri was eighth, Franco Colapinto finished ninth and Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10. Antonelli’s benchmark came in a car that had been upgraded for the weekend. Antonelli’s pace gave Mercedes the headline from the final practice hour ahead of qualifying.
Q1 reshuffle
Q1 added another layer to the afternoon, with Arvid Lindblad grabbing the final spot into Q2 on a 1:37.883 lap. Antonelli’s first qualifying run was deleted for a track-limits violation, which made his path through the session more complicated after he had already topped final practice. The early phase also ended the day for Nico Hülkenberg, Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez, leaving all six outside the next round. Lindblad’s advance stood out because he took the last available place into the next stage, and that kept him alive in a session that had already pushed several drivers back toward the garage. The mix of Antonelli’s deleted lap, Lindblad’s narrow escape and the six eliminations made the first qualifying segment a sharp reminder of how quickly the order could change at Sepang.
