Max Verstappen Wins Rain-Hit Bahrain GP in Malaysia for First 2026 Victory
Red Bull ends drought at Sepang as Antonelli finishes second, Hamilton third and Russell retires late
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File photo: Max Verstappen at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix fan meeting in Sepang. Photo: Morio, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
When the lights finally went out, Antonelli and teammate George Russell surged past Verstappen into the first corners on intermediate tyres. Verstappen fought back past both Mercedes cars, taking the lead after a Safety Car caused by Valtteri Bottas’ spin, then controlled the race through further Virtual Safety Car and Safety Car periods.
Russell’s slim title hopes suffered another blow when his Mercedes stopped behind the final Safety Car on the start/finish straight. Formula 1 said Antonelli’s championship lead over Russell grew to 84 points with seven rounds remaining.
Hamilton and Leclerc charge from the back
Hamilton and Charles Leclerc started on slicks and dropped toward the rear before fighting back to third and fourth. Isack Hadjar completed the top five for Red Bull, ahead of Oscar Piastri, Liam Lawson, Fernando Alonso, Lando Norris and Arvid Lindblad.
“It’s a really nice one, after the year that we’ve had and the progression that we’ve made,” Verstappen said in the Formula 1 report. “I’m incredibly proud of everyone… we made the right call with the intermediates, and after that, step by step, we moved our way forward.”
The championship next visits Singapore on 9–11 October.
