Bahrain GP In Malaysia Saturday: Weather Forecast And Qualifying Build-Up

Formula 1 heads into Saturday at Sepang with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on top after second practice. He finished just 0.099 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, with McLaren's Lando Norris third. Max Verstappen was fourth after setting his best time on the medium tyre, and Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top five.

It was a tougher session for Mercedes, who had looked stronger earlier in the day. George Russell was seventh and championship leader Kimi Antonelli eighth, with neither driver getting the most out of their soft-tyre runs. The team has work to do before qualifying.

Despite forecasts of up to a 90 per cent chance of rain, FP2 stayed dry. Teams completed their long runs on a dry track, but the heat, the abrasive surface and shifting grip levels kept tyre management at the centre of the weekend.

Saturday is expected to be hot and humid at Sepang, with temperatures reaching 32-33C. Thunderstorms are possible earlier in the day, while the latest local forecast points to a drier afternoon. Rain remains a risk around the qualifying window, so teams must be ready for changing grip. Even in the dry, high humidity and very hot track temperatures will make tyre preparation, degradation and cooling key factors.

Sunday looks set to stay hot, with another chance of thunderstorms during the day.

Third practice starts at 12:30 local time and qualifying at 16:00.