Bahrain Grand Prix 2026: Verstappen wins rain-shortened race in Sepang
The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix was held this year in a very different location. Due to the situation in the Middle East, the race could not take place at the Bahrain International Circuit, and Formula 1 was postponed to the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. This marked Formula 1's return to one of Asia's most popular circuits for the first time since 2017.
And that return did not disappoint.
A heavy rain shower caused a delay, different tire strategies, and multiple Safety Cars. In the end, it was Max Verstappen who secured his first victory of the season. Kimi Antonelli finished second, thereby increasing his lead in the world championship, while Lewis Hamilton made a remarkable recovery to P3 after a difficult start.
Qualifying: Verstappen finally takes pole
The weekend started excellently for Red Bull.
Max Verstappen took his first pole position of the season and was able to start from the front row alongside Lewis Hamilton.
Isack Hadjar originally qualified third, but received a grid penalty due to new engine parts. This allowed Kimi Antonelli to move up to P3 and Charles Leclerc to P4.
What stood out beforehand:
- Verstappen took his first pole of 2026
- Hamilton put Ferrari in a strong P2
- Antonelli moved up to P3
- Leclerc started from P4
- Hadjar dropped back to P8 due to his grid penalty
After a difficult first half of the season, Red Bull finally seemed to be seriously contending for victory again.
The race: rain turns everything upside down
Shortly before the start, a heavy rain shower swept over Sepang.
There was so much water on the circuit that the start had to be delayed. When the cars finally went out behind the Safety Car, several cars also experienced technical problems. The start procedure was therefore halted again.
By the second attempt, the track had dried out considerably, and the teams had to make an important choice immediately: intermediates or slicks?
Verstappen, Antonelli, and Russell chose intermediates. Ferrari, with Hamilton and Leclerc, opted for dry tires.
That initially proved to be the wrong choice.
When the race finally truly began, the Mercedes drivers got off to an excellent start. Antonelli took the lead, Russell moved up to P2, and Verstappen dropped back.
The opening phase in brief:
- Antonelli took the lead
- Russell temporarily made it a Mercedes 1-2
- Verstappen lost places at the start
- Hamilton and Leclerc dropped far back on slicks
- The wet track immediately caused many position changes
The turning point: Verstappen benefits from the Safety Car
Verstappen recovered quickly.
He overtook Russell and then began to put Antonelli under pressure. Just as that battle was becoming exciting, Valtteri Bottas spun off the track and the Safety Car came out.
That was exactly the moment when the track began to become suitable for slicks.
The leaders came in, and after the restart, Verstappen struck. He went around the outside of Antonelli at Turn 1 and took the lead.
Behind him, Russell benefited from the battle and also overtook Antonelli, but the Italian later fought back and regained P2.
From that moment, Verstappen slowly but surely began to pull away.
Hamilton fights his way back
For Lewis Hamilton, the race seemed almost lost after his wrong tire choice.
The Ferrari driver had fallen far back, but began a strong charge as soon as the track was dry.
Hamilton worked his way through the field step by step and eventually even got back close to the podium. Leclerc also managed to make up a lot of lost ground.
While Ferrari was outside the top ten in the opening phase, both cars were right at the front again at the end.
Late Safety Car makes it exciting again
With only a small part of the race remaining, Alex Albon stopped.
First a Virtual Safety Car was deployed, after which a full Safety Car eventually followed. Most of the leaders took advantage of the moment to get new tires once again.
Then came a major setback for Mercedes.
George Russell was still running at the front at that moment, but suddenly stopped behind the Safety Car with a technical problem.
His race was over.
For Antonelli, this meant that he gained important points over his teammate in the world championship again.
Verstappen keeps Antonelli behind him
After the final restart, Antonelli had one more chance.
However, Verstappen remained flawless, kept the Mercedes behind him, and built up a small margin again in the final laps.
After 55 laps, the Dutchman crossed the finish line as the winner.
Antonelli finished 2.307 seconds later in second place, while Hamilton crowned his impressive recovery drive with third place.
The top five:
- P1: Max Verstappen – Red Bull
- P2: Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
- P3: Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
- P4: Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
- P5: Isack Hadjar – Red Bull
For Verstappen, it was his first victory of the season and at the same time the first Formula 1 win for Red Bull Ford Powertrains.
What does this mean for the 2026 season?
For Antonelli, P2 may not have been the victory he had hoped for, but for the championship, it was another excellent afternoon.
Russell had reduced his deficit to 66 points in Azerbaijan. Due to his retirement in Malaysia and Antonelli's second place, that gap increased again to 84 points.
Key takeaways:
- Verstappen takes his first victory of 2026
- Red Bull clearly seems to have taken steps forward
- Antonelli increases his lead in the championship
- Russell has to deal with reliability issues again
- Ferrari makes a remarkable recovery after a wrong tire choice
With seven races to go, Antonelli is therefore firmly in the lead again.
Conclusion: Verstappen is back
The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix ultimately became a race in which Max Verstappen showed that Red Bull must once again be taken seriously.
He started from pole, lost ground at the start, fought his way back to the front, and remained flawless under difficult conditions.
Antonelli secured another important result for the championship with P2, while Hamilton made an impressive comeback to the podium after a wrong tire choice.
And perhaps the best part for many Formula 1 fans: Sepang was back.
After a nine-year absence, the Malaysian circuit immediately delivered another chaotic and spectacular Grand Prix.
