Max Verstappen claimed his first victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season after a chaotic, rain-hit Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, while George Russell’s late retirement dealt another blow to his championship hopes.
F1’s return to Malaysia produced anything but a conventional Grand Prix, as torrential rain, technical problems and changing tyre strategies turned the Bahrain race at Sepang into one of the most unpredictable races of the season.
The race was delayed by more than 90 minutes after heavy rain left the circuit in dangerous conditions. Even before the race officially got underway, the formation laps descended into chaos, with several cars suffering problems and drivers completing different numbers of laps.
The start procedure was eventually suspended before the field returned to the original grid. When the race finally got underway, the slippery conditions immediately created a huge strategic gamble, with drivers split between intermediate and slick tyres.
Verstappen started from his first pole position of the season but was immediately jumped by the two Mercedes cars. The Red Bull driver initially dropped to third before recovering his composure and fighting his way back past George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
The early drama continued when Valtteri Bottas spun out, bringing out the safety car. Most of the field took the opportunity to pit, but Lewis Hamilton stayed out, gambling on track position as the conditions continued to evolve.
That strategy initially looked disastrous. Hamilton dropped as far as 18th but the Ferrari driver produced one of the drives of the race to recover through the field and eventually finished third.
Antonelli ultimately finished second, extending his championship lead to 84 points, while Hamilton completed the podium ahead of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
For Verstappen, the victory was particularly significant. It was his first win of the campaign and came at the same circuit where he claimed victory when Formula 1 last raced in Malaysia in 2017.
The result also gave Verstappen his 72nd victory for Red Bull, putting him level with Michael Schumacher’s record for the most wins with a single constructor.
The race looked set to deliver a major championship boost for Russell too. The Mercedes driver spent much of the afternoon running in a podium position and appeared on course for valuable points.
Instead, with just five laps remaining, Russell was forced to retire with a suspected power unit problem. His DNF was particularly painful given that championship leader Antonelli was running comfortably in second.
Russell’s retirement leaves Antonelli in an increasingly commanding position at the top of the standings. After Malaysia, Antonelli leads on 302 points, with Russell second on 236. Hamilton sits third on 199, followed by Lando Norris on 186, Charles Leclerc on 179 and Verstappen on 163.
The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix race results
With seven Grands Prix remaining, all six of those drivers remain mathematically in contention for the championship, although Antonelli’s advantage means the battle is increasingly becoming one about who can challenge Mercedes over the final stretch of the season.
Away from the title fight, Aston Martin had perhaps their most encouraging weekend of the year. The team achieved its first double Q2 appearance of the season in qualifying, before Fernando Alonso converted that pace into an eighth-place finish.
It was a much-needed result for Aston Martin, with Alonso holding off Norris in the closing stages to secure the team’s third points finish of the 2026 campaign.
There was also another frustrating afternoon for Audi. Nico Hulkenberg finished 11th, just outside the points, continuing a remarkable pattern for the team. It was the ninth time this season that an Audi has finished in 11th place, underlining just how often the team has found itself agonisingly close to scoring.
After a race that began with a rain delay, descended into formation-lap confusion and featured multiple retirements and dramatic strategy swings, Verstappen emerged as the one driver who managed to keep everything under control.
His first victory of 2026 could hardly have arrived in more dramatic circumstances and with the championship entering its final stages, the Dutchman has finally put himself back into the conversation.
