Max Verstappen has his first pole position of 2026, but Lewis Hamilton's final effort gives the front row a very familiar look. The Red Bull driver set a 1:35.130, with Hamilton putting his Ferrari alongside him, 0.298 seconds behind. Two old rivals at the front. Should make the run to Turn 1 interesting.

Nine years after Formula One last raced here, Sepang is back, this time it hosts the rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix. A Bahrain race in Malaysia takes a little explaining, but the return of this circuit is certainly welcome.

Its first Grand Prix in 1999 saw Michael Schumacher return from a broken leg to help Ferrari teammate Eddie Irvine's championship challenge. Irvine won that race. For those of us who remember watching them, it feels a lot less than 27 years ago.

For today's teams, the return brings more than nostalgia. With no relevant Sepang data for this generation of cars, practice was particularly valuable. The abrasive surface, heat and humidity made understanding the tyres a priority. Familiar surroundings for some of the grid, but plenty of homework for all.

Friday offered no clear answer on who would come out on top. Verstappen led FP1 ahead of George Russell and Isack Hadjar, before Charles Leclerc edged Hadjar by just 0.099 seconds in FP2, with Lando Norris third. Verstappen finished fourth without using soft tyres. This suggested there was more to come.

Mercedes, meanwhile, had work to do with their upgraded car. Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished FP2 seventh and eighth after failing to complete clean soft-tyre laps.

Antonelli responded in final practice, topping the session with a 1:36.302, ahead of Verstappen and Hadjar. Russell was fourth, followed by Leclerc and Hamilton. A brief red flag for debris from Oliver Bearman's Haas interrupted the session before all attention turned to qualifying.

Verstappen soon took control, finishing fastest in Q1, Q2 and Q3. Antonelli had a less straightforward route through Q2 after losing a lap to track limits. His recovery effort put him second and safely into the final shootout.

Q1 ended the afternoon for Nico Hülkenberg, Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon and both Cadillacs. Bottas and Perez occupied the final two qualifying positions, another difficult session for the new team.

In Q3, Red Bull initially held the top two places, both were fast and both were dominant. Verstappen improved on his final run, while Hamilton found enough to deny the team a qualifying one-two.

Hadjar finished third, ahead of Antonelli, Leclerc, Norris, Oscar Piastri and Russell. Pierre Gasly and Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top ten. Hadjar's five-place penalty moves him to eighth and promotes Antonelli to third.

Verstappen won Sepang's previous Grand Prix in 2017. He now has the best starting position from which to repeat it, but Hamilton will have other ideas. - Here's hoping for a first lap duel like old times.

Nine years away. Two familiar rivals at the front. Roll on Sunday.