News Summary

• Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, his first victory of 2026.
• Kimi Antonelli finished second, with Lewis Hamilton recovering to complete the podium.
• Heavy rain, starting-procedure problems and two Safety Car periods shaped the race.

Max Verstappen ended his wait for a first victory of 2026, winning the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia after an afternoon of rain delays, technical problems and shifting strategies at Sepang. The four-time world champion beat Kimi Antonelli by 2.307 seconds, with Lewis Hamilton recovering to finish third.

The result gave Verstappen his 72nd career victory in Formula 1 and his second at Sepang, nine years after winning the circuit’s previous Grand Prix in 2017. He started from pole but had to recover from third before taking control of the race.

Charles Leclerc finished fourth, completing a strong recovery for Ferrari after both drivers lost substantial ground early on. Isack Hadjar took fifth ahead of Oscar Piastri, Liam Lawson, Fernando Alonso, Lando Norris and Arvid Lindblad.

George Russell retired during the final Safety Car period, losing a potential podium and valuable championship points. Gabriel Bortoleto finished 18th after receiving a 10-second penalty for contact with Carlos Sainz.

Rain and software trouble disrupt the start

Heavy rain arrived roughly 40 minutes before the scheduled 15:00 start, quickly leaving Sepang too wet for the race to begin. Race Control delayed proceedings while the medical car circulated to assess the standing water and conditions.

The downpour also transformed the strategic picture. Track temperature fell to around 35°C, with ambient temperature at approximately 25°C, a substantial change from the extreme heat experienced earlier in the weekend.

The first formation-lap attempt began at 15:40 local time, with the field on intermediate tyres. Hadjar slid off at Turn 3 but escaped the gravel, while Norris also ran off the circuit.

More disruptive were the acceleration problems affecting several cars. Hamilton slowed dramatically before stopping on the main straight, with other drivers also struggling to maintain speed. Ferrari informed him that a software issue was being addressed, and the starting procedure was suspended before the race could begin.

The field returned to the pits as the rain stopped and the circuit began drying. The eventual start came at 16:33, 93 minutes after the original scheduled time, with teams now facing a difficult choice between intermediates and slicks.

Mercedes makes the strongest start

Some drivers committed to intermediates, while others gambled on soft or medium slicks. Piastri, Bortoleto, Stroll and Hülkenberg changed their initial choices during the formation lap and switched to intermediates before the start.

Antonelli surged into the lead, with Russell moving into second and Verstappen dropping to third. Drivers on slicks initially struggled, creating large gaps and frequent changes of position throughout the field.

Ferrari endured a particularly difficult opening phase. Leclerc was called in after early contact with Hülkenberg, while Hamilton remained on slicks as those using intermediates pulled away.

Verstappen passed Russell and closed on Antonelli, attempting to challenge the Mercedes driver before Bottas ran off on lap nine and became stranded in the gravel.

The Safety Car gave those still running intermediates an opportunity to switch to slicks, while also reducing the gaps that had formed between the different tyre strategies.

Verstappen takes charge at the restart

Antonelli retained the lead through the pit-stop sequence, but Verstappen attacked when racing resumed on lap 13. He moved ahead at Turn 3, with Russell subsequently passing his team-mate as well.

Further back, contact between Bortoleto and Sainz sent the Williams off the circuit and cost the Spaniard several positions. Bortoleto received a 10-second penalty, compounding a race in which Audi’s attempt to extend his hard-tyre stint ultimately failed.

Hamilton began making rapid progress as conditions increasingly favoured slicks. He worked past Piastri, Lindblad, Ocon and Lawson, reaching fifth by lap 23.

Antonelli, meanwhile, recovered second place by overtaking Russell. Verstappen continued extending his advantage as the drivers behind him balanced tyre life against the need to attack.

A later pit-stop sequence left Verstappen leading Antonelli by approximately 10 seconds. Hadjar remained in the podium fight, with Hamilton and Leclerc continuing their recovery.

Russell retires as Ferrari completes its recovery

Alonso made progress on hard tyres, passing Ocon and then Lindblad to move into the points. The race changed again when Albon stopped with a gearbox problem, prompting a Virtual Safety Car and then a full Safety Car.

Verstappen pitted, while Mercedes initially kept Antonelli on track before bringing him in on the following lap. The neutralisation closed the field and set up a short final sprint.

Before racing could resume, Russell stopped on the main straight and retired. Norris also ran into the gravel during the Safety Car period, losing positions and leaving himself with further ground to recover.

George Russell stopped on track (Photo: Broadcast screenshot)

Verstappen controlled the final restart and pulled away. Hamilton passed Hadjar to take third, with Leclerc also overtaking the Red Bull driver to secure fourth.

Ferrari’s third-and-fourth finish represented a significant turnaround after its drivers had fallen more than 45 seconds behind the leader during the opening phase. Verstappen, however, remained out of reach and rebuilt a winning margin of more than two seconds over the final three laps.

Bahrain GP in Malaysia: full race results

Formula 1 returns next weekend, from 9–11 October, for the Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay. GRANDE PRÊMIO will cover all the action.

F1 today: FAQ

Who won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia?

Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang on Sunday, 4 October, taking his first victory of the 2026 F1 season. Kimi Antonelli finished second, with Lewis Hamilton completing the podium.

Why was the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia delayed?

Heavy rain initially delayed the start at Sepang. Several drivers then experienced power delivery problems during the formation procedure, forcing race control to suspend the start again. The race eventually began more than 90 minutes after its scheduled time.

How far ahead is Kimi Antonelli in the F1 championship?

Kimi Antonelli leads George Russell by 84 points after finishing second at Sepang while his Mercedes teammate retired. Antonelli has 320 points, Russell has 236 and Lewis Hamilton is third with 214.