Max Verstappen secured his first win of the 2026 season with a dominant performance during a turbulent Bahrain Grand Prix, hosted at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. The event, which served as the first race in the country since 2017, was marked by extraordinary scenes as Bahrain opted to hold the fixture in Southeast Asia due to ongoing unrest in the Middle East. The key stories of a madcap afternoon were. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Race day started well enough, with Malaysians treated to their first race since 2017 thanks to Bahrain paying to hold it at Sepang following unrest in the Middle East.
The race faced significant delays, lasting an hour and a half, triggered initially by torrential tropical rain and compounded by unexpected technical failures. As the field attempted to navigate formation laps behind the safety car, several vehicles experienced mysterious software issues. Preliminary findings suggest these malfunctions stemmed from a software update mandated by the FIA during the prolonged start delay, which left cars unable to perform at full capacity. The governing body struggled to determine a definitive grid order as teams scrambled to resolve the electronic faults, highlighting serious concerns regarding the event’s organization. Particularly over the start, a series of questions over race organisation. Then the heavens opened causing a long delay.
Once racing officially commenced, Verstappen and pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton initially lost ground after starting on intermediate tires. Hamilton, attempting a bold strategy with soft-compound slicks, found the track conditions far too treacherous and plummeted to 17th place. However, he maintained his tyre choice through a safety car period—deployed on lap nine when Valtteri Bottas spun his Cadillac at Turn 13—and eventually clawed his way back to contention. By lap 24, Hamilton was challenging for the top positions, ultimately finishing third after a tactical pit stop transition to medium tires.
Verstappen reclaimed the lead from George Russell by lap six and, following a second pit stop for slicks, remained in absolute control. Russell’s title aspirations suffered a likely fatal blow when his power unit failed just five laps from the finish, forcing a retirement as he battled for the podium. The closing stages were further complicated by a final safety car triggered by Alex Albon’s immobilized Williams, setting up a four-lap sprint to the finish line. The effective death knell for Russell’s already faint title hopes.
Race Classification Top 10
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
Kimi Antonelli solidified his championship lead, now sitting 84 points ahead of Russell with six or seven races remaining in the calendar. Verstappen, meanwhile, celebrated a milestone victory for the team utilizing their internally developed power train, marking his 72nd career win and reinforcing his status as a four-time world champion. The current triple-header, which began in Azerbaijan and continued through Malaysia, is scheduled to conclude in Singapore on Sunday, 11 October. Verstappen has now won 72 F1 races and four world titles during his career.
