Colapinto handed five-place grid drop for Bahrain GP as Leclerc tops day six of testing

Franco Colapinto will drop five places on the starting grid for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang after being handed a grid penalty for the October 4 race in Malaysia.

The penalty comes ahead of a weekend at the 5.543km Sepang International Circuit, where the wide layout, heavy-braking zones and unpredictable tropical weather are expected to make overtaking - and recovering positions - more achievable than at many other venues.

Leclerc sets the pace on day six

Over in testing, Charles Leclerc set the fastest lap of day six of Bahrain testing, rounding out a strong showing in the desert ahead of the season's next rounds.

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said he was "really proud of everyone's effort" across the test. Esteban Ocon, who completed his stints in the car, said he was "looking forward to go racing", while Oliver Bearman described the past two days as "the most productive" of the running.

Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur was clear that the capacity of the team to develop quickly will be "huge" over the course of the campaign, and Nico Hulkenberg reported: "We made some very good progress."

Looking ahead to Sepang

Attention now turns to the race weekend in Malaysia, which runs from October 2-4 with Friday practice sessions, Saturday qualifying and the 56-lap Grand Prix on Sunday. Tickets for the event have already been launched, and the F1 Fantasy Strategist has delivered his take on the sequence of races through Baku, Sepang and Singapore as teams and fans turn their focus to Southeast Asia.