F1 Today | Russell tops timesheet in 'first session' in Malaysia as Verstappen turns 29

After the Bahrain Grand Prix could not take place in April due to the ongoing Middle East conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, it has been rescheduled for the first weekend of October in Malaysia.

George Russell, Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz, Oliver Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto and Oscar Piastri flew together to the Southeast Asian country. Not only did they explore the local scenery, but they also competed in a gokart race.

Carrying on his good form from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Russell set the fastest time. However, the Mercedes driver later also admitted that he had no clue who won the race because it was 'absolute carnage'.

Verstappen turned 29 years old today. To celebrate his special day, he received a special cake portraying his family, his partner Kelly Piquet shared on social media.

In her Instagram story, the Brazilian also wrote: "Happy Birthday My ❤️"

This week, Verstappen returns to Malaysia, where he already won once in 2017. Looking ahead to the next weekend, he said: "Malaysia is an exciting track to drive and it is good to be back and have it on the calendar again. Of course, the last time we raced here was in 2017, when I won my second Grand Prix, so there are a lot of good memories and we can now see how these generation of cars will fare on this track.

Aston Martin's latest annual report offers a rare glimpse into what Lance Stroll's company receives from the Silverstone-based team.

In 2025, no less than £9.6 million was paid to the company that handles the Canadian’s racing activities.