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Max Verstappen Wins 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia for Red Bull’s First Victory

Max Verstappen converted pole into victory at rain-hit Sepang, securing Red Bull’s first win of 2026 and Red Bull Ford Powertrains’ maiden triumph.
Entry594 Date Time2 min MechanicCarCody Team
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Max Verstappen won the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at Sepang International Circuit, giving Red Bull its first victory of the season and Red Bull Ford Powertrains its maiden win. He finished 2.307 seconds ahead of Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli after 55 laps.

Who won the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix?

Verstappen took victory for Red Bull after starting from pole position. Antonelli finished second for Mercedes, while Lewis Hamilton secured third for Ferrari. The FIA’s event label is “2026 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia”; despite the name, the race took place at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, not in Bahrain. The FIA published its report on 4 October 2026.

How Verstappen turned pole into a wet-weather win

A delayed start and an early recovery

Heavy rain delayed the scheduled start by 40 minutes. The start procedure was then suspended for a further 53 minutes before the race began. Verstappen started on intermediate tyres, but Antonelli and George Russell got ahead of him at the start, forming a Mercedes one-two. Verstappen recovered second place by passing Russell on lap 6.

The first Safety Car opened the tyre window

After Valtteri Bottas’s incident on lap 9 brought out the Safety Car, teams had a chance to switch from intermediates as the circuit dried and slick tyres became viable. Red Bull fitted Verstappen with softs; Mercedes chose mediums for Antonelli and Russell. When racing resumed, Verstappen passed Antonelli for the lead and began building an advantage. The different compounds were part of the teams’ choices for the conditions and timing of the stop; the result does not establish that tyre compound alone decided the race.

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Verstappen held on through later interruptions

Later Virtual Safety Car and Safety Car periods prompted further strategic decisions, but Verstappen retained the lead at the final restart. Hamilton and Charles Leclerc passed Verstappen’s teammate Isack Hadjar for the remaining podium places. Russell retired after 49 laps; Hadjar finished fifth.

Official top-five result

Position Driver Team Gap to winner Laps
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull / Red Bull Ford — 55
2 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +2.307s 55
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +4.919s 55
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +7.258s 55
5 Isack Hadjar Red Bull / Red Bull Ford +8.571s 55

Result and race figures: Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), 4 October 2026.

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What Verstappen said after the race

Verstappen said he was proud of the team’s progress: “It’s a really nice one after the year that we’ve had and the progression we’ve made. So yeah, I’m incredibly proud of everyone, and it’s super nice to win here.” He also described the launch: “The start was hectic, with a lot of different things — no power, you had to wait for the power to kick in.” Both remarks were reported by Verstappen.com on 4 October 2026.

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