Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen achieved his 72nd victory in his Formula 1 career in an eventful Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
After the Sepang race was delayed by an hour and a half due to dysfunctional software on a wet track, Verstappen beat both Silver Arrows drivers to take the win as George Russell suffered a technical issue.
After a 40-minute delay due to a rain, the formation lap began, with Isack Hadjar having a trip through the gravel as the whole field warmed up intermediate tyres. Several cars, including front-row starters Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, suffered software glitches that rendered throttle input ineffective. The red flag was waved, which delayed the race by a further 53 minutes.
When the race finally got under way, only nine cars went for intermediate tyres, including Verstappen, Kimi Antonelli, Russell and Isack Hadjar. Others like Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri stayed with slicks – as did Pierre Gasly, who spun out behind the safety car on lap one and dropped to P13.
A standing start took place at the end of lap two, as Piastri, Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg made late pitstops to switch from slicks to intermediates.
The Silver Arrows of Antonelli and Russell moved to the front of the pack easily at five red lights out, despite polesitter Verstappen having the same intermediates. The four-time world champion only narrowly held off Liam Lawson for third, with the Racing Bulls driver enjoying a good getaway too.
Meanwhile, the Ferraris dropped down the order, along with Norris. Having clipped Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi, Leclerc pitted at the end of that lap for a new front wing and moved to intermediates, while teammate Hamilton lost further track positions trying to make their gamble work – along with the Alpines, Oliver Bearman, Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas.
Verstappen passed Russell for second place in Turn 4 on lap six, with the top three drivers within three seconds while fourth-placed Lawson was ten seconds down. He was overtaken by Hadjar at the last corner on that same lap.
Verstappen caught Antonelli and started putting pressure on the race leader on lap eight. Antonelli went wide at the last corner but retained the lead.
Bottas lost control in Turn 13 on lap nine and ended up benched in the gravel, causing a safety car period that was perfect timing for the inter-shod runners to switch to slicks, as the latter had become the quicker tyre compound, while allowing those who stick with slicks to recover.
Antonelli led from Verstappen, Russell, Hadjar, Lawson, Ocon, Lindblad, Sainz, Bortoleto and Piastri, with a variety of slick tyre compounds out on track – most interestingly the Mercedes drivers on mediums and the Red Bulls on softs – while Hamilton, Norris and Leclerc were down in P15 to P17, with the Ferraris on softs and Norris on hards.
A determined Verstappen went around the outside of Antonelli at the restart in Turn 1, while Russell went past in Turn 5, with the championship leader dropping to third in a few seconds. Meanwhile, Bortoleto and Sainz collided, with the Williams dropping down to P18 and the Audi driver handed a 10-second penalty.
As Verstappen pulled away from the Silver Arrows by over three seconds, Antonelli was getting impatient behind his teammate, but team orders were not in play, so the championship leader found a way past in Turn 4 on lap 21. Further down the field, Hamilton was overtaking his opponents one after another, climbing to fifth by lap 22, while Leclerc broke into the top ten on the following lap.
Antonelli went wide at the last corner and hit the pit entry bollard on lap 24, losing another two seconds to Verstappen, with the gap up to 7.5 seconds. He was now just one second ahead of Russell, but both gaps subsequently increased.
The wave of second pitstops began on lap 29 for frontrunners, including Russell on lap 32, moving to softs – too early. Antonelli logically followed on the next lap to avoid being undercut, and so did Verstappen, now comfortably leading by 11 seconds.
As Hadjar found himself under pressure from Hamilton, the virtual safety car neutralized the race, with Alex Albon stopped due to a technical failure. Verstappen opted for a ‘cheap’ pitstop but gave up the lead to Antonelli. Both Ferraris also changed tyres.
Mercedes eventually opted to pit both cars on the following lap, along with most frontrunners, until the VSC turned into a full safety car.
Ahead of the final laps in green-flag conditions, Verstappen led Antonelli, Russell, Hadjar, Hamilton, Leclerc, Piastri, Norris, Lawson and Alonso, who fought his way into the top ten.
But before racing even got back under way, Russell stopped trackside with a technical issue and retired, while Norris was surprised by cars slowing down ahead and had a trip through the gravel and fell to P11.
There were just four laps remaining when the safety car returned to the pitlane, and Verstappen mastered the restart. After that, Max was never at threat from Kimi and was victorious. Hamilton found a way past Hadjar in Turn 1 on lap 53, clinching his first podium finish since Silverstone. The Red Bull driver also dropped behind the Ferrari of Leclerc.
Piastri finished sixth ahead of Lawson, while a combative Alonso held off Norris for eighth. Lindblad scored the last available point in P10, underlining another strong day for Racing Bulls relative to the rival Alpine team.
Having held sixth place early on, Esteban Ocon collapsed to P15 under the chequered flag, behind teammate Oliver Bearman.
So after a long delay due to the weather, the race finally got going and it was entertaining. Back in 2017, Max achieved his second victory. Nine years later, he has scored his 72nd at the same track.
Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, race results:
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull-Ford 1:47:14.808
2 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +2.307s
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +4.919s
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +7.258s
5 Isack Hadjar Red Bull-Ford +8.571s
6 Oscar Piastri McLaren-Mercedes +9.454s
7 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls-Ford +12.753s
8 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin-Honda +13.372s
9 Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes +13.993s
10 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls-Ford +15.928s
11 Nico Hulkenberg Audi +17.404s
12 Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Honda +18.052s
13 Franco Colapinto Alpine-Mercedes +18.997s
14 Oliver Bearman Haas-Ferrari +22.305s
15 Esteban Ocon Haas-Ferrari +22.532s
16 Pierre Gasly Alpine-Mercedes +23.315s
17 Carlos Sainz Williams-Mercedes +25.431s
18 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi +28.233s
19 Sergio Perez Cadillac-Ferrari +29.310s
George Russell Mercedes DNF
Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes DNF
Valtteri Bottas Cadillac-Ferrari DNF
Max Verstappen converted pole position into victory during Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, which was impacted by heavy rain, featured an entertaining crossover from intermediate tyres to slicks, and saw overtaking from start to finish – as well as a dramatic late retirement for George Russell.
After a delayed start and then a suspended start procedure, as several drivers struggled to maintain speed on the initial formation lap, the race eventually got under way in slippery, mixed conditions – leading to split tyre strategies and plenty of early action.
Polesitter Verstappen fell behind Mercedes pair Kimi Antonelli and Russell on the run down to Turn 1, with all three drivers running intermediate tyres, but he soon settled into a rhythm and managed to pick off the Silver Arrows either side of a Safety Car that was deployed when Valtteri Bottas spun out.
That Safety Car period represented the ideal window for the intermediate starters to switch to slick tyres, with those who lined up on slick compounds getting caught out, and threats of further rain not materialising before the chequered flag.
Verstappen controlled proceedings after working his way back into P1, pulling away from Antonelli and Russell – who had their own battle over second – and navigating a late Virtual Safety Car/Safety Car combination to secure his and Red Bull’s breakthrough first win of the 2026 campaign.
Antonelli was already set to extend his championship lead over Russell by three points when his team mate dramatically ground to a halt on the start/finish straight behind that final Safety Car, dealing another blow to the Briton’s already slim title chances.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were high-profile names to start the race on slick tyres, with both drivers dropping towards the back of the grid as a result. However, inspired comeback drives saw them recover to P3 and P4 respectively, and bag a healthy haul of points for Ferrari.
Isack Hadjar dropped from third to fifth in the closing laps as Hamilton and Leclerc completed their charges, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in P6, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson in P7 and Fernando Alonso in a morale-boosting P8 for Aston Martin.
Lando Norris sat on team mate Piastri’s tail before the final restart, only to lose control of his McLaren behind the Safety Car and run through the gravel, leaving him to settle for ninth, in front of Racing Bulls rookie and final points finisher Arvid Lindblad.
As has so often been the case this season, Audi driver Nico Hulkenberg just missed out on a reward in 11th, followed by the other Aston Martin of Lance Stroll, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and the Haas machines of Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon.
Pierre Gasly almost crashed out during the formation lap on slick tyres, but managed to rejoin the action and eventually finish 16th, ahead of Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, who were involved in a mid-race collision (for which the latter was penalised).
Cadillac’s Sergio Perez was the day’s final finisher in 19th position, given the aforementioned Russell’s heartache, Bottas’ race-ending spin, and another stoppage involving the Williams of Alex Albon, which brought out the late Safety Car.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/verstappen-wins-rain-hit-bahrain-gp-in-malaysia-over-antonelli-as-russell-retires-late-on.6qfpIHPch8mIVj2YgfHdCp
Max Verstappen was left feeling “incredibly proud” of his Red Bull team after claiming his and the squad’s maiden victory of the season at a dramatic Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with the win also making history as the first for Red Bull Ford Powertrains.
While Verstappen had looked in commanding form when he sealed pole position during Saturday’s Qualifying, the Dutchman had to contend with various events in Sunday’s race, which was delayed in getting underway due to heavy rain.
With several drivers struggling to maintain speed and falling out of position during the initial formation lap, this led to a suspended start procedure – and when the Grand Prix did eventually begin in mixed conditions, Verstappen was overtaken by the Mercedes pair of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
The Red Bull driver ultimately made his way back into the lead, however, and maintained control across a late-race Virtual Safety Car and full Safety Car phase to secure his and the team’s debut win of 2026.
Asked after the race if his 72nd victory had been his sweetest, Verstappen smiled: “It’s a really nice one, after the year that we’ve had and the progression that we’ve made. I’m incredibly proud of everyone, and it’s just super nice to win here.”
The 29-year-old went on to discuss the challenges that he experienced en route to the chequered flag.
“It was very hectic with a lot of different things in the start,” he explained. “No power, so you have to wait for the power to kick in. But then we made the right call with the intermediate [tyres], and after that, step by step, we moved our way forward.
“From there onwards we could do our own race until the end again, of course with the Safety Car, but we kept it all under control.”
Verstappen also took a moment to reflect on the achievement of scoring Red Bull Powertrains’ maiden win in only their first year as a power unit supplier.
“It’s incredible,” the Dutch driver conceded. “I think already, of course, we started, and also to win our first race in our first year with our own power unit is pretty impressive.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/verstappen-incredibly-proud-of-red-bull-after-historic-win-at-bahrain-grand-prix-in-malaysia.6q0XGAriyl5ps2CLy1yiGm
Mercedes driver George Russell labelled his misfortune as laughable following Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, where a power unit failure cost him a podium finish late on.
Russell was a lowly seventh on the grid at Sepang, but the correct choice of intermediate tyres on a damp track and a lightning getaway saw him surge to second into Turn 1, behind team-mate Kimi Antonelli.
Russell was however passed by Max Verstappen as early as lap six, but the first safety car period gave him a chance to sweep past Antonelli around the outside of Turn 5 at the restart as the race leader dropped down to third – though the Italian youngster found a way back into second place just eight laps later.
Further drama did not disrupt the status quo in the top three, but a late safety car meant Russell had a chance to challenge his rivals for victory. He did not get to, as a power unit failure took him out of the race before the final restart.
“I mean, you’ve almost got to laugh,” Russell told Sky Sports F1 after his third retirement this season – his second purely technical DNF. “It’s beyond disappointment. It’s just, so many times this season it’s happened.
“Of course, it’s a real shame, but… Just keep on fighting. Just keep on trying to go.
“The podium, of course, looked very certain. Solid race, not amazing race, but solid race.
“Not the first time, so I’m pretty used to this feeling and these questions, let’s say.”
As he said, Russell will “keep on fighting”, but is equally aware of his deficit to championship rival Antonelli reaching an unprecedented 84 points.
The Briton steered clear of any sensational comments – he won’t say the title is out of reach – but his assessment is bleak nonetheless.
“I don’t need to say I think it’s gone or whatever,” he added. “But, of course, it’s exceptionally unlikely, and that’s just the reality.
“I knew if I wanted to come back I needed luck on my side. Unfortunately, I’ve had luck not on my side. So, you know, a three-point loss today being behind Kimi turned into an 18-point loss. Of course, if the issue was on the other side, it would have been an 18-point gain.
“So, yeah, it’s a real shame. It’s a real shame, but that’s just how it is.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/george-russell-says-youve-got-to-laugh-at-his-bad-luck-as-f1-title-drifts-away/10861912/
Leading F1 drivers are despairing at power unit software glitches that derailed the start of the Bahrain GP in Malaysia, with Lando Norris calling the electronic glitches “horrible” and further proof that F1 should move away from hybrids.
The start at a wet Sepang circuit was aborted after a large number of cars suffered crippling software issues. With the event being the first wet weather race contested by the 2026 generation of cars, a bug in the software when drivers were driving at very low speeds, triggered by the power unit controller’s wet weather mode, left drivers stuck into idle mode at various points of the two planned formation laps.
With several cars stuck into that idle loop, the FIA had to rapidly code and deliver a software patch for all 11 teams to install during the following red flag stoppage, lifting the usual wet weather power reduction in the affected zones. It took a 50-minute delay for the race to start, which was a major blemish for F1 ahead of what was otherwise an entertaining, mixed-weather race.
With drivers already harbouring misgivings on F1 2026’s battery-dominated racing and the overbearing electronics that are in charge, the incident did little to further endear them to the current formula.
“It’s just horrible. I don’t know, it just proves that we shouldn’t have any of that stuff, the electronic side,” Norris said, one of the few Mercedes-powered drivers to suffer the glitch.
“I’ve never seen an F1 race delayed by a bug. That was a new one,” Piastri said mockingly. “I got stuck for about a second. When the turbo doesn’t work on these things, you might as well push the car instead of using an engine. It was quite bizarre. It wasn’t a great look, but I think it would be unfair to point the finger before there’s an explanation.”
Cadillac’s Sergio Perez, who drove one of several Ferrari-powered cars that were affected, was less kind. “It felt like you were in a rental kart and you ran out of time,” the Mexican explained. “You were putting your foot down and accelerating and nothing was coming.
“I’m sure we will learn from it as a sport. But what happened today is totally unacceptable for the sport.”
Haas driver Oliver Bearman said it was “scary” for his throttle pedal being cut off by something beyond his control. “I’ve never seen anything like that. I was shocked,” he said. “I didn’t even know that the FIA could control our throttle pedal. That was quite scary, actually. My throttle pedal stopped working, but it looks like everybody stopped working as well. The engine was just idling.”
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso said there was now “too much technology” involved in the series and felt “the spectators don’t really appreciate it” either. Meanwhile, race winner Max Verstappen, whose slow getaway helped trigger the bug, likened the formation lap chaos to the Lego go-kart race in Silverstone.
“That’s the problem that we have,” the Dutchman said. “These engines are so complicated and a lot of software is implemented. I triggered it first and then I looked in my mirror and I was like: ‘Wait, are they waiting for me or what’s going on…?’
“It was like the Lego race, the same speed. At some point we were five-wide on the straight because we couldn’t understand what was going on. Then we did a lap and then I saw eight other cars crawling still.
“What can you say? I mean, that’s not what you want for the sport, right?”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/horrible-totally-unacceptable-powerless-f1-drivers-frustrated-by-bahrain-f1-software-glitch/10861968/
Kimi Antonelli sits 84 points clear at the top of the Drivers’ Championship following his P2 finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia – with team mate and rival George Russell retiring towards the end – but insists the Mercedes team “still have work to do”.
The Italian started from third on the grid in Sunday’s race in Sepang, and chose intermediate tyres for the mixed conditions at lights out – which proved to be the right choice as he overtook polesitter Max Verstappen on the run down to Turn 1.
Antonelli then lost ground to the Dutch driver after the first Safety Car, brought out by Valtteri Bottas beaching his car in the gravel, but managed to see off a challenge by Russell to stay second.
Running in P2, he was already set to extend his lead in the championship by three points when his team mate had his race cut short on Lap 50 with a suspected power unit failure behind another Safety Car – dealing a blow to the Briton’s already slim title chances.
The 20-year-old said afterwards that Mercedes still had “a lot of work to do” as the team had been “struggling”, but added he was satisfied with finishing second to Verstappen.
“I think today was the maximum we could have done,” he explained. “Massive congrats to Max and Red Bull for the incredible weekend. And on our side, a lot of work to do – we’ve been struggling a bit more than usual, but still really happy to come away with P2.”
Speaking to the media post-race, Antonelli added: “I’m really happy with P2. It’s a result we deserved because we’ve been… Well, to be fair, after the start I thought we could have had a chance to win today.
“But then after the restart, you know, Max overtook me, also George overtook me. Then I was able to regain P2, and then from that point on I was there in P2 the whole time. So yeah, that was what we deserved today.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/p2-was-the-maximum-we-could-have-achieved-in-malaysia-antonelli.2pwbKbJ3dldp6qKJS7Hwad
Lewis Hamilton says his podium finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia was “bittersweet” after completing a comeback drive to P3 having at one stage been a minute behind the leaders.
The race in Sepang was initially delayed due to thunderstorms in the area, and the first race start procedure then got suspended as several drivers, including Hamilton, struggled to maintain speed on the initial formation lap.
When the race eventually got under way in mixed conditions, the Briton – who was second on the grid after a strong performance in Qualifying – dropped 15 places having opted to fit his Ferrari with slick soft tyres instead of intermediates.
With the track not drying up as quickly as hoped, Hamilton dropped to P17 to run a minute behind the leading cars on the first lap – prompting the Scuderia to suggest a switch.
However, the seven-time World Champion made the call from the cockpit to “gamble” and stay on the softs instead – a decision that ultimately saw him roar through the field to cross the line third behind Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli.
Asked how he felt after the race, Hamilton wasn’t sure. “I think it’s bittersweet,” he said. “We had an opportunity and ultimately didn’t maximise it.
“I had a tough [time] at the beginning, but after the race got going and I managed to keep it on track — which, I’m telling you, was so, so hard.
“I didn’t think that I’d be able to get back to third place, so I’m very, very grateful for that and very happy with it.”
“Obviously we had the wrong call in the beginning, which was so difficult and I could see everyone just pulling away,” he added. “I could see on the screen it was a minute down, and I thought that was kind of race over for us. But I just kept my head down, the guys did a great job with the pit stops – obviously lots of tyre changes and lots of chasing.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-hails-bittersweet-podium-in-sepang-after-comeback-drive.kacizmhSQaUfUkYHV5H47
Lando Norris has explained what caused his dramatic run off track behind the Safety Car during the latter stages of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with the incident dropping the Briton backwards en route to a final result of P9.
After the race start was initially delayed due to heavy rain – before a suspended start procedure followed – Norris was amongst those to bolt on the medium tyres for when the encounter eventually got underway. Those on slicks found themselves struggling in the mixed conditions, however, dropping the World Champion backwards from his original grid slot of P5.
An early Safety Car phase – following a stoppage for Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas – offered an opportunity to pit, which both Norris and team mate Oscar Piastri (who had swapped the medium tyres for intermediates at the end of the first lap) took advantage of.
There was further drama to come in the latter stages when, during another Safety Car period, Mercedes’ George Russell pulled to the side of the track on the main straight to retire his car, leading to those behind him bunching together.
This seemingly caught out Norris, who ran off track into the gravel after taking avoiding action around those ahead, dropping him back to P11. The British driver ultimately fought his way back to ninth when the race resumed, while Piastri ended the day in his original starting position of sixth.
Speaking to the media after the race, Norris conceded that the decision to start on the medium tyre had been “the wrong one”.
“There was enough of us that tried it, that obviously looked more convincing than it was, I guess, from the outside and from our laps to grid,” he explained.
“But I think the laps to grid and the inter tyre was a bit deceiving in terms of how much grip there was. I think a bit of it is also the fact we’ve never driven on the inter before and pushed on it, so it was hard for us to understand if it was like genuine, [if] the tyres were amazing or not.
“That also led to our decision, but in the end we got it wrong and I probably should have boxed at the end of the first lap, but we wanted to take the gamble.”
Norris went on to detail what led to his off-track excursion in the latter stages, with the 26-year-old subsequently summoned by the stewards for “driving erratically under Safety Car conditions, leaving the track and re-joining unsafely and/or overtaking another car behind the Safety Car”. In the end the Briton was issued with a reprimand.
“I swore a lot,” Norris admitted. “It’s just I couldn’t see from the angle and, from where I was, how much everyone had stopped because of George on the inside. So by the time I kind of looked at George and looked back, I could see them.
“But it’s hard when you’re directly behind to see if they’re going 100, 200, or 10, and they were going 10, so I just got completely caught out. I guess it’s my fault at the end of the day, so I was just unlucky with it. Everyone just checked up so much and I just got screwed over by it, that’s all.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/i-swore-a-lot-norris-explains-off-track-moment-behind-safety-car-in-malaysia-after-p9-finish.65txlrZKsVDzVDMjhZiQ8m