Ahead of Antonelli and Hamilton
Max Verstappen converted pole position into victory at the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, overcoming a rain-disrupted start, changing track conditions and a late Safety Car intervention to secure Red Bull’s first win of the season and the maiden triumph for Red Bull Ford Powertrains.
The four-time World Champion led home Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by 2.307 seconds after 55 laps at the Sepang International Circuit, while Lewis Hamilton completed a remarkable recovery drive to claim third for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc finished fourth, ahead of Verstappen’s team-mate Isack Hadjar, as the race delivered strategic intrigue, frequent overtaking and a dramatic late retirement for George Russell.
Antonelli’s runner-up finish extended his championship advantage over Russell, whose hopes of limiting the damage were dealt a significant blow when his Mercedes stopped on the start/finish straight during the closing stages.
A heavy downpour delayed the scheduled start by 40 minutes, with conditions at the 5.543-kilometre circuit remaining treacherous as the field prepared for the formation lap.
Several drivers encountered difficulties warming their tyres, while Hadjar briefly ran through the gravel. Further complications followed for a number of cars, including polesitter Verstappen and Hamilton, leaving throttle inputs ineffective and prompting Race Control to suspend the start procedure.
A further 53-minute delay followed before the field was finally released, with nine drivers opting for Intermediate tyres and the remainder gambling on slick compounds despite the damp conditions.
Verstappen, Antonelli, Russell and Hadjar were among those starting on Intermediates, while Hamilton, Leclerc, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri chose slicks.
Pierre Gasly’s gamble almost ended before the race had begun, the Alpine driver spinning behind the Safety Car on the opening lap before recovering to the grid. The start procedure was subsequently completed at the end of Lap 2, allowing the field to take its positions for a standing start.
When the lights went out, Antonelli and Russell made excellent starts to sweep past Verstappen and establish a Mercedes one-two into Turn 1. The Red Bull driver narrowly retained third from a fast-starting Liam Lawson, while the contrasting tyre strategies immediately began to shape the race.
Further back, the Ferraris and Norris struggled to make progress on slick tyres. Leclerc also made contact with Nico Hülkenberg’s Audi, forcing an early pit stop for a new front wing and a switch to intermediates.
Hamilton, meanwhile, remained committed to his initial strategy, as did several other drivers, including Fernando Alonso, Oliver Bearman and Valtteri Bottas.
Verstappen began his recovery on Lap 6, passing Russell around the outside into Turn 4 to reclaim second place. Lawson subsequently lost fourth to Hadjar at the final corner, leaving the Racing Bulls driver increasingly exposed as the Red Bull pair established themselves at the front.
By Lap 8, Verstappen had closed on Antonelli and was applying pressure to the race leader. The Italian briefly ran wide at the final corner but retained first place, with Russell still within striking distance.
The leading trio remained closely matched until Lap 9, when Bottas lost control through Turn 13 and became stranded in the gravel, prompting the deployment of the Safety Car.
The neutralisation provided an ideal opportunity for the intermediate runners to switch to slick tyres, which had become the faster compound as the circuit dried.
Verstappen, Antonelli, Russell and Hadjar all took advantage, while those who had started on slicks were able to recover lost time by changing strategy.
The resulting order placed Antonelli ahead of Verstappen and Russell, followed by Hadjar, Lawson, Esteban Ocon, Arvid Lindblad, Carlos Sainz, Gabriel Bortoleto and Piastri.
Mercedes opted for Medium tyres, while Red Bull selected Softs for both Verstappen and Hadjar, setting up a potentially decisive difference in pace as the race resumed.
Verstappen wasted little time in exploiting the advantage, sweeping around the outside of Antonelli into Turn 1 to take the lead. Russell then passed his team-mate at Turn 5, dropping the championship leader to third within the opening moments of the restart.
Verstappen quickly began to establish a gap, moving more than three seconds clear of the Mercedes pair. Antonelli, however, remained determined to recover second place and, after several laps behind Russell, found a way past at Turn 4 on Lap 21.
Hamilton’s recovery was gathering momentum. Having fallen towards the rear of the field during the opening exchanges, the Ferrari driver climbed to fifth by Lap 22, overtaking several rivals in quick succession. Leclerc followed, breaking into the top 10 one lap later.
Antonelli’s challenge was briefly compromised on Lap 24 when he ran wide at the final corner and struck the pit-entry bollard, losing valuable time. The gap to Verstappen increased to 7.5 seconds, while Russell closed to within a second of his team-mate before the Mercedes pair began to lose further ground.
The leading drivers began making their second pit stops from Lap 29, with Russell entering the pits on Lap 32 to switch to Soft tyres.
The Mercedes driver subsequently expressed concern that the stop had come too early, while Antonelli pitted one lap later to cover the undercut threat. Verstappen followed, retaining a comfortable advantage of approximately 11 seconds over the Mercedes. Behind them, Hamilton continued to make progress, bringing himself into contention for a podium finish as Hadjar came under increasing pressure.
The race was then interrupted by a Virtual Safety Car when Alex Albon stopped with a gearbox issue on Lap 41. Verstappen took advantage of the reduced-speed conditions to make another pit stop, temporarily surrendering the lead to Antonelli.
Both Ferraris also changed tyres, while Mercedes elected to bring both cars in on the following lap. The Virtual Safety Car was subsequently replaced by a full Safety Car, neutralising the field and creating a final opportunity for teams to adjust their strategies.
Verstappen therefore returned to the front ahead of Antonelli and Russell, with Hadjar fourth and Hamilton fifth. Leclerc, Piastri, Norris, Lawson and Alonso completed the top 10.
The final restart set up a short but decisive run to the chequered flag, with Verstappen required to defend his advantage while Antonelli and Russell prepared to resume their fight for second.
Norris, running close behind Piastri, lost control of his McLaren while following the field behind the Safety Car and ran through the gravel, compromising his position.
When racing resumed, Verstappen maintained control at the front, while Hamilton and Leclerc completed their recovery drives by passing Hadjar to move into third and fourth respectively.
Hadjar slipped to fifth, ahead of Piastri and Lawson, while Alonso secured eighth for Aston Martin. Norris recovered to ninth, with rookie Lindblad completing the points-paying positions in 10th.
The closing stages brought further drama when Russell’s Mercedes ground to a halt on the start/finish straight after 49 laps, ending his race and handing Antonelli an important additional advantage in the Drivers’ Championship.
Verstappen crossed the line 2.307 seconds clear of Antonelli to secure his first victory of 2026, marking a significant milestone for Red Bull Ford Powertrains. Hamilton finished 4.919 seconds behind the winner, with Leclerc a further 2.339 seconds back.
2026 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia – Race
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 55 -
2 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 55 2.307
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 55 4.919
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 55 7.258
5 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 55 8.571
6 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 55 9.454
7 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 55 12.753
8 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 55 13.372
9 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 55 13.993
10 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 55 15.928
11 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 55 17.404
12 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 55 18.052
13 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 55 18.997
14 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 55 22.305
15 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 55 22.532
16 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 55 23.315
17 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 55 25.431
18 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 55 28.233
19 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 55 29.310
George Russell Mercedes 49 – Retirement
Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 41 – Retirement
Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 7 -
