What happened with Hamilton in FP2 at Sepang?

Hamilton was investigated for impeding Bortoleto in FP2. The stewards issued a warning only — no grid penalty. Ferrari was fined €10,000 for running with a broken mirror and failing to warn Hamilton by radio.

Was Leclerc fastest on Friday at Sepang?

Leclerc topped FP2 at 1:37.528. Verstappen topped FP1 at 1:37.520. Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren were covered by 0.371 seconds across the day.

What is the racesepang team beat?

A live team hub: one team followed start to finish through a race weekend. Ferrari is the pilot beat at Sepang 2026, continuing to Singapore, with full grid coverage planned for Vegas.

When is qualifying at Sepang?

Qualifying runs Saturday at 4:00 PM MYT, after FP3 at 12:30 PM MYT. The race is Sunday.

Ferrari at Sepang: Leclerc, Hamilton and the Scuderia's Weekend — Live Beat

The pilot team beat: one team, followed start to finish — the template for full grid coverage.

TEAM BEAT

By Will Tygart · October 3, 2026 · Live beat — updated through the weekend

The latest

Sat 2:30 PM MYT — FP3 done. Leclerc 5th, Hamilton 6th — behind Antonelli, Verstappen, Hadjar and Russell. Work to do before qualifying at 4:00 PM MYT. source
Sat 2:00 PM MYT — Leclerc's first FP3 run went straight to the top, and a late red flag for debris came just as he pitted from 3rd. Hamilton was held up by a slow Lindblad on a push lap. source
Sat 11:30 AM MYT — Qualifying day. FP3 runs 12:30 PM, qualifying 4:00 PM MYT. Leclerc topped FP2 at 1:37.528 with Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren covered by just 0.371s — the Scuderia is genuinely in the fight at the front.
Sat 10:00 AM MYT — Hamilton cleared, Ferrari fined. The stewards investigated Hamilton's FP2 impeding of Bortoleto and issued a warning only — no grid penalty. But the team was fined €10,000 for running with a broken mirror and giving Hamilton no radio warning. Costly Friday for the pit wall.
Sat 9:00 AM MYT — Weather watch. MetMalaysia has thunderstorm warnings out this morning and models give qualifying a real storm risk (18–50%). A wet qualifying would shuffle the grid — Ferrari's dry pace suggests they'd rather it stayed dry.
Fri 6:00 PM MYT — Friday debrief. Leclerc's FP2 headline time came on a day both sessions stayed dry. The three-team fight at the front is real, and with Sunday's FIA Heat Hazard declaration (heat index above 31°C, mandatory driver cooling), tyre management on Sepang's rough surface could decide the race.

The drivers

Charles Leclerc — topped FP2 at 1:37.528 and has looked comfortable all weekend. If qualifying stays dry, he's a genuine pole threat.

Lewis Hamilton — survived the Bortoleto impeding investigation with a warning, but the €10,000 team fine for the broken mirror will sting. Needs a clean Saturday to convert Ferrari's pace into grid position.

Why Ferrari matters this weekend

Three teams — Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren — finished Friday within 0.371 seconds. Nobody has broken away, and on Sepang's rough, heat-baked surface, Sunday is shaping into a tyre-management race where strategy can beat raw pace.

Ferrari's Friday looked like a team with a car that works here. The question for qualifying: can they turn single-lap pace into a front-row lockout while Red Bull and McLaren hunt them down?

The pit-wall subplot is real too. Friday's €10,000 fine was for an operational failure — broken mirror, no radio warning. In a weekend this tight, operational sharpness is pace.

What this beat is

This page is a pilot: one team, followed start to finish through the weekend — session results, paddock news, driver updates and fan pulse, all in one place. It's the template for full team-beat coverage at future races.

The beat carries into Singapore (Oct 9–11) with the same team, learning as it goes — and the goal is a full pit lane of beats by Vegas (Nov 19–21).

Spotted something the beat missed? The fastest way to reach the desk is the Live from Sepang WhatsApp channel.