Verstappen Wins a Chaotic Sepang Return as Antonelli Stretches Title Lead
Formula 1 returned to Malaysia for the first time since 2017, hosting the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Max Verstappen converted pole into his first win of 2026 after a storm, two start delays, an engine-software glitch and two Safety Cars. Kimi Antonelli finished second and now leads George Russell by 84 points.
- Max VerstappenPole and win, 72nd career victory
- 1:35.130Pole lap, 0.298s clear
- 1:47:14.808Winning time, 55 laps
- 320 vs 236Antonelli leads Russell
Why F1 raced in Malaysia
The original Bahrain round was cancelled because of conflict in the Middle East. F1, the FIA and the Bahraini and Malaysian governments agreed to stage the race at Sepang on 2–4 October, between the Azerbaijan and Singapore rounds. Its official name is the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, and it restored the calendar to 23 races. Sepang had last hosted F1 in 2017, when Verstappen also won.
No sprint this weekend. Sepang ran the standard format of three practice sessions, qualifying and the Grand Prix. The next round, Singapore, hosts the season's final Sprint.
Practice
Verstappen was quickest in FP1 (1:37.520) and Charles Leclerc topped FP2 (1:37.528). Antonelli led FP3 with 1:36.302 on Saturday morning.
Qualifying: Verstappen on pole, Hamilton alongside
Verstappen topped Q1, Q2 and Q3, and his final run of 1m35.130s left him 0.298s ahead of Lewis Hamilton. It was his first pole of 2026 and the first of the season for a car without a Mercedes power unit. Hamilton said last-minute changes after FP3 made the difference. The two shared a front row for the first time since Hungary 2023. Isack Hadjar completed a Red Bull-heavy top three, while George Russell could manage only eighth.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Q3 time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:35.130 | – |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:35.428 | +0.298 |
| 3 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:35.558 | +0.428 |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:35.631 | +0.501 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:35.666 | +0.536 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:35.757 | +0.627 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:35.762 | +0.632 |
| 8 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:35.871 | +0.741 |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:37.210 | +2.080 |
| 10 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:37.673 | +2.543 |
Eliminated in Q2: Lawson (11th), Alonso (12th), Sainz (13th), Stroll (14th). Verstappen's Q1 and Q2 times were 1:36.477 and 1:35.696. Pole lap average speed was about 209.8 km/h.
Race: storm, glitch and a late Safety Car
Heavy rain arrived on Sunday just before the cars left for the grid, with thunder and lightning overhead. After a 40-minute delay the field went out behind the Safety Car, but then Verstappen reported power problems and Hamilton suffered throttle trouble. Several 2026 power units struggled with software glitches, which the FIA later called “unprecedented”. The start was suspended again while teams applied software fixes and the cars were restored to their grid slots.
When the race finally began, 13 of 22 drivers, including both Ferraris and both McLarens, gambled on slick tyres. Verstappen and both Mercedes stayed on intermediates, which proved right. Antonelli and Russell jumped Verstappen into Turn 1, but he passed Russell on lap six and took the lead from Antonelli after the first Safety Car on lap nine, which was triggered when Valtteri Bottas spun his Cadillac.
Ferrari's slick gamble backfired badly. Hamilton and Leclerc fell toward the back, more than a minute off the lead, with Hamilton dropping as low as 18th. Leclerc pitted for intermediates, but Hamilton stayed out as the track dried, then charged back through the field. Verstappen had built a lead of more than ten seconds when a second Safety Car came out with nine laps left for Alex Albon's stranded Williams. Russell was running third when his car stopped with a suspected power-unit failure. Verstappen held firm on the restart, while Hamilton passed Hadjar for third to end Ferrari's five-race podium drought. Lando Norris slid through the gravel at Turn 1 and dropped to ninth.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:47:14.808 | 25 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +2.307 | 18 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +4.919 | 15 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +7.258 | 12 |
| 5 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +8.571 | 10 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +9.454 | 8 |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +12.753 | 6 |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +13.372 | 4 |
| 9 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +13.993 | 2 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +15.928 | 1 |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +17.404 | – |
| 12 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +18.052 | – |
| 13 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +18.997 | – |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +22.305 | – |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +22.532 | – |
| 16 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +23.315 | – |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +25.431 | – |
| 18 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +28.233 | – |
| 19 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +29.310 | – |
| DNF | George Russell | Mercedes | – | – |
| DNF | Alex Albon | Williams | – | – |
| DNF | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | – | – |
Points follow the standard top-ten scale (25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1). Source tables list 55 laps for the race.
Driver stats from the weekend
| Driver | Grid | Finish | Places | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Verstappen | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 |
| Kimi Antonelli | 4 | 2 | +2 | 18 |
| Lewis Hamilton | 2 | 3 | −1 | 15 |
| Charles Leclerc | 5 | 4 | +1 | 12 |
| Isack Hadjar | 3 | 5 | −2 | 10 |
| Oscar Piastri | 7 | 6 | +1 | 8 |
| Liam Lawson | 11 | 7 | +4 | 6 |
| Fernando Alonso | 12 | 8 | +4 | 4 |
| Lando Norris | 6 | 9 | −3 | 2 |
| George Russell | 8 | DNF | – | 0 |
Places gained or lost compare the grid slot with the final classification. Russell was running third when he retired.
- Verstappen won on his first visit back to Sepang since taking the last race there in 2017, and it was his first victory since the 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi.
- Red Bull scored 35 points, 25 from Verstappen and 10 from Hadjar, while McLaren managed only 10 between Piastri and Norris.
- Alonso's eighth was Aston Martin's best result of 2026.
- Russell's retirement turned a potential 69-point gap into 84 points, and Verstappen is now level with Norris on 188.
Drivers' championship after round 16
| Pos | Driver | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 320 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | 236 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 214 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 191 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 188 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 188 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 128 |
Mercedes lead the constructors' standings on 556 points; Red Bull have 298.
What comes next
The grid flies straight to Singapore for the season's final Sprint weekend, with seven rounds left. Antonelli leads Russell by 84 points with 183 still available across the remaining rounds.
Sources
- PlanetF1: Bahrain GP in Malaysia race results
- Sky Sports F1: race report
- Formula1.com: qualifying report
- Formula1.com: qualifying results
- Sky Sports F1: qualifying report
- Speedcafe: Verstappen storms to Sepang pole
- ESPN: weekend results
- Bahrain GP: Verstappen secures first win of the season
- Crash.net: championship standings
- RacingNews365: standings and constructors' points
- Grandprix.com.au: Malaysia joins the calendar
Also Read: F1 Dutch GP 2026: Race Report