From familiar foes on the front row to Mercedes struggling to understand their performance, and from Isack Hadjar making his way through the field to the particular challenges of the track surface this weekend, here are five things to keep in mind as we race for the first time since 2017 at Sepang…
1. Verstappen-Hamilton from the front row
Two of the most successful drivers in Formula 1 history have had many battles in the past, but surprisingly the grid order of Max Verstappen in pole position and Lewis Hamilton Next to him in the front row it has not been repeated since Abu Dhabi in 2021.
The pair offered a title fight for the ages that season, and although they haven’t had too many opportunities to challenge each other for wins since, this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia has provided that stage.