Max Verstappen claimed his maiden win of the 2026 season after holding off Mercedes at an exhilarating System 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Verstappen got here into the 56-lap race because the pole-sitter and took the chequered flag first forward of Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Lewis Hamilton delivered an impressed comeback after Ferrari’s tyre gamble failed at first to take the ultimate podium place.
Heavy rain delays begin, and Ferrari gremlins trigger pre-race chaos
The racing gods made their transfer, with half-hour to go to lights out, because the heavens opened up over Sepang.
Groups and drivers had already began deliberating on whether or not to start out the 56-lap race on the Intermediates or the Wets. The heavy rain bathe and the soaked observe urged the extremes, however the abrasive tarmac had many erring on the aspect of warning.
The FIA took the decision to delay the beginning owing to the standing water out on observe. As soon as the climate settled in, the drivers began the formation lap behind Bernd Mayländer.
Lewis Hamilton fell again on the formation lap with a suspected software program problem. With the Ferrari pit wall on the job, he received again as much as tempo once more. That stated, the chaos meant the beginning process was suspended with a number of Ferrari-powered vehicles dealing with points.
How the race unfolded
However because the 5 lights lastly went out at Sepang in F1 for the primary time since 2017, pole-sitter Max Verstappen, who curiously opted to start out on the Inters on a comparatively dry observe, endured a sluggish push off the road.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli darted into the lead, adopted by his team-mate George Russell. Verstappen slotted into third, chased by Liam Lawson in fourth.
The Ferrari gamble to start out on the Mushy tyres miserably bit each Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, because the duo plummeted down the order. The Monegasque dove into the pits on the very subsequent lap, filtering out final after a gradual cease.
It turned fairly clear that the drivers on the Intermediates had made the suitable name because the dry tyre runners rounded off the again of the pack from P15 onwards.
Because the race settled in, the Williams of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon have been the most important winners as they elevated themselves into the highest 10 on their very own units of the green-walled Inters.
On Lap 6, Verstappen had discovered his bearings once more, as he dove down the within of Russell for P2 at Flip 4. In the meantime, Antonelli had eked out a two-second benefit within the lead.
The crossover level for a swap to dry tyres was quick approaching. The Intermediate runners have been lastly dropping lap instances to the dry runners.
That stated, the time the likes of Norris and Hamilton had already misplaced to the lead pack meant the crossover benefit was simply not value it by Lap 8.
On the very subsequent lap, Verstappen discovered himself proper on the gearbox of Antonelli, with the Mercedes driver operating vast on the Flip 15 hairpin. However the 20-year-old saved his wits on the principle straight and thru the Flip 1 and a couple of complicated to maintain his W17 forward of the Dutchman.
The Cadillac of Valtteri Bottas, nonetheless, modified the complexion of the race once more when his stranded automobile within the gravel pit referred to as out the Security Automotive.
Antonelli and Verstappen dove into the pits, respectively, and got here out 1-2. Virtually everybody adopted the main duo into the pit lane, and primarily neutralised the race with the gaps worn out and a 21-car discipline on dry tyres. Ferrari opted to not pit Hamilton underneath the Security Automotive.
The Security Automotive ended on Lap 13, with Antonelli main the sphere, adopted by Verstappen, Russell, Hadjar and Lawson.
The Purple Bull driver swooped previous Antonelli on the surface into Flip 1, and saved the nostril of his RB22 forward out of Flip 3 to take the lead of the race again from the Italian.
Antonelli misplaced one other place to Russell and dropped into third as Verstappen, on the red-walled Softs, tried to get out of the Mercedes duo’s overtake zone.
Ferrari begin to make amends at Sepang
By Lap 14, Hamilton had discovered himself climbing up the order and in eleventh. Norris and Leclerc, on brisker tyres than the Briton, nonetheless, have been discovering it tough to slice by way of the sphere in thirteenth and 14th, respectively.
Hamilton dispatched the Audi of Nico Hulkenberg to get himself into P9, nearly 16 seconds off the leaders. In the direction of the entrance of the pack, Antonelli was beginning to get pissed off within the wake of Russell as he tried to provoke a little bit of group orders by coming onto his group radio: “I’ve extra tempo.”
Peter Bonnington responded with a reassuring “We’ll do one thing totally different,” suggesting the pit wall would deploy group orders on technique.
On Lap 20, Hamilton was “again within the sport” as he chased Esteban Ocon for sixth. He made his transfer on the Haas driver popping out of the Flip 15 hairpin.
In the meantime, Antonelli wasn’t ready round for the following spherical of pit stops.
On Lap 21, the present championship chief zipped previous Russell and into second, however the ease with which he was in a position to pull the transfer urged Russell was nursing his tyres, aiming to go lengthy for an offset – short-term struggling for some long-term acquire on Russell’s aspect of the pit wall.
Norris misplaced a spot to Leclerc, because the Ferrari driver made a transfer on Hulkenberg to get himself into the factors. The McLaren driver received himself previous the Audi as effectively, however misplaced additional floor to Leclerc within the course of.
By Lap 24, Hamilton, who was but to pit, was up and into fifth however nearly 11 seconds off fourth-placed Isack Hadjar.
The climate forecast urged one other batch of rain was going to hit the observe someday earlier than the top of the race, which may play out completely for Hamilton.
Halfway by way of the Bahrain GP in Malaysia, Verstappen was within the lead by a stable eight seconds to Antonelli, adopted by Russell, Hadjar and Hamilton.
Lawson, Piastri, Ocon, Leclerc and Norris rounded off the highest 10.
Verstappen takes the win at Sepang as Antonelli maintains his championship edge
Leclerc got here into the pits on Lap 29 for an additional set of the Mushy tyres. The Ferrari driver got here out in thirteenth, behind the Alpine of Franco Colapinto. Hamilton’s tempo in clear air could also be inspiring Leclerc’s aspect of the pit wall to modify up the Monegasque’s technique.
By Lap 30, Hamilton had lowered his arrears to Hadjar to 5 seconds – the Purple Bull driver was left perplexed by how a lot he was struggling along with his tyres in comparison with the Briton.
On Lap 32, each Hadjar and Hamilton dove into the pits. The duo filtered out in fourth and fifth, respectively – the hole between them now down to 2 seconds.
On the entrance, Verstappen was now 10 seconds away from Antonelli as Russell pitted from third. The Mercedes driver saved P3 intact, popping out forward of the McLaren duo of Piastri and Norris by a snug margin. Antonelli pitted on the following lap, retaining second on exit. 20 laps now stood between Verstappen and his first win of 2026.
With the quicker Mushy tyres bolted onto his RB22, Hadjar was nearly protecting Hamilton at bay. On Lap 38, the Ferrari driver, now lapping half a second quicker than Hadjar, received himself proper on the gearbox of the Purple Bull driver.
Additional down the grid, Fernando Alonso dragged his AMR26 up and into P10 as he received himself previous Arvid Lindblad.
15 laps to go and Purple Bull’s prowess on the straights was neutralising Ferrari’s dominance within the corners to maintain Hadjar forward of Hamilton.
Gearbox troubles pressured Alex Albon to park his FW48, triggering the VSC on Lap 43. Verstappen took the chance to pit. The Mercedes duo stayed out, with Antonelli taking the race lead away from Verstappen.
The Dutchman got here out in second, adopted by Russell. Hamilton pitted from fifth as effectively, filtering out behind Piastri in sixth.
Mercedes modified their thoughts on the next lap because the German marque referred to as each its drivers into the pits for a double-stack. Verstappen was now again into the lead as the complete Security Automotive was referred to as out.
Russell pulled throughout in the direction of the aspect of the pit exit on Lap 50 as his energy unit gave out – protecting the Security Automotive out for longer.
The Security Automotive got here into the pits on the finish of Lap 51, as the highest 5 went into Flip 4 line astern. Hamilton was now locked into battle with Hadjar for the ultimate podium place.
Hamilton sailed previous the battery-starved RB22 of Hadjar on the principle straight on Lap 53. Out on the entrance, Verstappen prolonged his result in 1.2 seconds over Antonelli. Leclerc received previous Hadjar, too, on the following lap.
On the chequered flag, Verstappen took his 72nd profession win – 9 years on from his second-ever F1 win at Sepang in 2017.
Antonelli slotted into P2, extending his lead within the drivers’ standings to 84 factors over Russell heading to Singapore.
Hamilton rounded off a superb restoration drive to take third on the street.
READ MORE – F1 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia – Race Outcomes
