Hamilton takes front row, Leclerc promoted to fourth for Ferrari in Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying at Sepang
Lewis Hamilton qualified on the front row and Charles Leclerc was promoted to fourth on the grid after qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Malaysia's Sepang circuit.
- 1'35"428
- 1'35"666
- 33 degrees
- 58 degrees
What Happened
Qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix took place at Malaysia's Sepang circuit on 3 October 2026, with the air temperature at 33 degrees and the track at 58. Both Scuderia Ferrari cars, the SF-26s of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, progressed through all three phases of the session. Hamilton secured a place on the front row, while Leclerc ended Q3 provisionally fifth and will start from fourth on the grid because Isack Hadjar has a grid penalty.
On Medium tyres, Lewis Hamilton set 1'36"595 and Charles Leclerc 1'36"730; both advanced to the next phase.
On new Soft tyres, Leclerc posted 1'35"970 and Hamilton 1'36"032; both made the cut to the final part.
On Softs, Hamilton lapped in 1'35"745 for provisional third, while Leclerc's 1'35"878 put him provisionally fifth.
Hamilton improved to 1'35"428 to secure a front-row place, and Leclerc improved to 1'35"666, staying fifth but set to start fourth after Hadjar's grid penalty.
- 1'35"428
- 1'35"666
1'35"428
Secured him a place on the front row of the Bahrain Grand Prix grid.
- Lewis Hamilton: front row after his 1'35"428 in Q3
- Charles Leclerc: fifth in Q3, promoted to fourth on the grid because Isack Hadjar has a grid penalty
Previously from Ferrari N.V.
Earlier in the same Bahrain Grand Prix weekend at Sepang, Charles Leclerc was fastest for Ferrari in second free practice while Lewis Hamilton was fifth. In the third and final practice session, Leclerc set the fifth fastest time and Hamilton the sixth.
- Leclerc fastest in second Bahrain GP practice at Sepang, Hamilton fifth for Ferrari
- Leclerc fifth, Hamilton sixth for Ferrari in final Bahrain Grand Prix practice at Sepang
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ferrari N.V.'s official releases.
Why this matters
Grid position decides where each driver starts the Bahrain Grand Prix, so Ferrari's front-row slot for Lewis Hamilton and fourth place for Charles Leclerc shape the team's chances in tomorrow's race. The result matters most to Ferrari, its rivals at the front of the grid and the team's fans.
Terms in This Story
- Q1
- The first phase of Formula 1 qualifying, in which drivers set timed laps and the slowest are eliminated.
- Front row
- The first two starting positions on the grid, occupied by the two fastest qualifiers.
- Grid penalty
- A punishment that moves a driver down the starting order by a set number of places, regardless of where they qualified.
- Soft tyres
- The softest tyre compound available at a race weekend, offering the most grip over a single lap but wearing faster than harder compounds.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.