5 October 2026 11:00 (UTC)
Papaya pride, paddock pranks, and a special meeting in Malaysia.
Allow us to take you behind the scenes of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and deep into the paddock, with our regular post-race wrap-up. Covering all the action you might have missed, we'll explore everything from the outfits that caught our attention to the strongest snaps and the standout quotes.
The Bahrain Grand Prix is always a busy one for the team, and the move to Malaysia for this year’s race only added to an action-packed weekend. Back on the calendar for the first time in nine years, the Sepang International Circuit underlined exactly why it is one of Formula 1’s most popular former venues, with changing weather, fantastic fans, and plenty of action on track.
Bahrain is our second home Grand Prix and, while the result was disappointing, there was still plenty to enjoy away from the track – from the incredible support of the Papaya Family to a memorable meet-and-greet with a very special young fan.
Malaysia is a truly diverse and vibrant country, so it was only right that we got a local member of the Papaya Fam to give us the tour of Kuala Lumpur.
Liau kindly guided us through the capital city, showing us all the best spots and even offering a taste of the famous durian fruit. We certainly felt right at home!
Our fans never fail to make us smile, but one went above and beyond by creating a Lando puppet, complete with moving arms and legs.
With engineering skills like that, perhaps there’s a job on the team waiting for them down the line.
Back in the garage, there was one big question on everyone’s lips this weekend: what would you rather encounter in the garage? A tiger or a snake?
Some of these answers are…interesting.
To re-inject a bit of wholesome energy into the team after that scary last question, we asked Oscar and Lando to rate things by how happy they make them for World Smile Day.
Come for the answers, stay for Lando’s best Oscar impression.
There’s hot, and then there’s Sepang. The Malaysian humidity made for a seriously sweaty weekend, with both drivers feeling the heat before they’d even jumped into the cockpit. This close-up perfectly captures the intensity of the conditions and the concentration required to keep your cool.
It’s not often that only two McLaren drivers are in action over a race weekend, but with the IndyCar season already concluded and none of our Development Drivers racing, that was the case in Malaysia.
However, the Allwyn x McLaren Racing: Live in Athens event more than made up for the quieter racing schedule. We love creating new and immersive experiences for our fans, and this was certainly something special.
Two-time World Champion Mika Häkkinen and Arrow McLaren star Pato O’Ward were behind the wheel of some of our iconic cars on a bespoke track outside the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens.
Back in Malaysia, and our drivers love to have a bit of fun between sessions, but George Russell might want to work on his pranking skills. His attempt to scare Oscar with a fake snake didn't quite go to plan. Safe to say, our Aussie wasn’t falling for it…
We saved our favourite moment of the weekend until last. Amid the stresses of a race weekend, it’s easy to lose sight of what truly matters.
We got the perfect reminder of that in Malaysia when Oscar met Harry, a young fan from Australia who is also pretty handy behind the wheel.
Harry has already shown plenty of fighting spirit, having beaten leukaemia twice, and it was only right that he received some truly special access in Sepang.
Oscar showed Harry around the garage and the MCL40, while also offering some sage advice to his fellow Aussie.
Formula 1 may not have been scheduled to visit Malaysia this year, but that didn’t stop the Papaya Family from turning out in force in Kuala Lumpur.
We were blown away by the support throughout the weekend, as Oscar, Lando and the team were greeted by papaya at every turn. Our favourite was seeing these fans rocking our 1000th Grand Prix merch.
F1 has changed markedly since we last went racing at Sepang, but one thing clearly hasn’t: Malaysia’s unpredictable weather.
Race day began with dry conditions in the forecast, only for a heavy rain shower and thunderstorm to soak the track and force a 93-minute delay.
Umbrellas became the must-have accessory of the weekend, as those without one found out...
“Some of our direct rivals have taken a significant step forward – such as Red Bull – and now it’s up to us to respond so that we can get back into the fight for podium places and try to improve our position in both championships.”
Red Bull’s recent step forward has underlined the need for us to find more performance, with Andrea Stella making clear that the team knows exactly what it needs to do next.
Plenty of racing remains, and the focus now turns to finding that extra performance and responding on track in Singapore.
There’s no rest as we approach the end of the triple-header, meaning it is straight onto the Singapore Grand Prix.
It should offer similar humidity to Malaysia, with the added drama of a night race and everything that comes with twisting and turning through the city streets.
