Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 Malaysia Race Report: Verstappen Wins as Ford Ends 23-Year Wait

Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 at Sepang, the first win for Red Bull Ford Powertrains and Ford’s first Formula 1 victory since 2003, on a day that nearly never got started. Heavy rain delayed the start, then the formation laps were red-flagged when several cars lost power, a problem the FIA later fixed with a software update sent to every team during the delay. Racing finally got underway 93 minutes late. Verstappen bogged down at the standing start, recovered on intermediates, took the lead at the Lap 13 restart and held it to the flag, 2.307 seconds clear of Kimi Antonelli. George Russell’s power unit failure behind the Safety Car on Lap 50 took him out of third and stretched Antonelli’s championship lead to 84 points. Ferrari looked to have thrown it away early, with Lewis Hamilton nearly stopping on the formation lap and Charles Leclerc running last on Lap 5. They left with third and fourth.

Key Points: Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 Malaysia Race Report

• Winner: Max Verstappen (Red Bull) from pole, 2.307 seconds clear of Antonelli. First win for Red Bull Ford Powertrains, Ford’s first F1 win since the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix, and Verstappen’s first win of 2026
• Start chaos: formation laps red-flagged after Verstappen, Hamilton, Lawson, Bortoleto and Bottas hit power problems. The FIA fixed it with a software update to all teams during the delay. Original grid restored. Racing began 93 minutes late
• Title swing: Russell retires from third with a power unit issue behind the Safety Car on Lap 50. Antonelli takes 18 points, and his lead grows to 84
• Ferrari recovery: Hamilton P3 after losing power on the formation lap and dropping to tenth on slicks. Leclerc P4 after running last on Lap 5
• Hadjar P5, Piastri P6, Lawson P7. Alonso holds off Norris for eighth on the final lap. Lindblad passes Hülkenberg on the last lap for the final point
• Retirements: Bottas spins off on Lap 9, Albon stops with a gearbox failure on Lap 43, Russell out on Lap 50

Race Recap: Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 Malaysia Race Report

Before the Lights: Rain, Red Flag, Reset

A tropical thunderstorm hit Sepang before the start and left standing water across the circuit. Race control held the start while the Medical Car reported back, sweepers and marshals cleared the worst of it, and the field waited. F1’s first wet race under the 2026 regulations. Nobody on the grid had raced this generation of car in the wet.

The formation laps got going behind the Safety Car, with Verstappen leading from pole. Then the cars started failing. Verstappen reported a lack of acceleration before getting going again. Hamilton, second on the grid, lost power completely and crawled round as the field went past him, telling his team nothing was happening when he pressed the throttle. Lawson was stuck on the grid. Bortoleto and Bottas struggled with similar problems. Hadjar slid into the gravel and rejoined.

Ferrari reset Hamilton’s software and he got going again. The order was a mess by then. Race control suspended the start procedure, threw the red flag and brought everyone into the pit lane. The problems hit cars with Red Bull Ford, Ferrari and Audi power units. The FIA later explained that an unprecedented combination of low engine speed, low grip, wet-weather energy management settings and Sepang’s sector configuration caused an unintended loss of power for a number of cars. Its technical department removed the energy limit constraint in the affected sectors through an updated software release, sent to all competitors during the delay so teams could make the changes before the start. Race control confirmed the original grid would stand, so Hamilton got his second place back.

By the time a start time came, the rain had stopped and the track was drying fast. Free tyre choice. Verstappen, both Mercedes and most of the field went for intermediates. Hamilton and Leclerc went for softs. Norris and Piastri went for mediums. The race got going at 16:33 local time, 93 minutes after the original start.

The Start: Slicks Go Backwards, Mercedes Go Forwards

Two laps behind the Safety Car, then a standing start on Lap 3. Gasly had already spun on softs behind the Safety Car. Perez came in for intermediates. Piastri pitted to get off his mediums before the start. Bortoleto pitted too.

Verstappen didn’t get away. Neither did anyone on slicks. Antonelli led into Turn 1 from Russell, a Mercedes one-two on the intermediates. Lawson made a brilliant start and fought Verstappen. Hadjar was up to fifth. Hamilton was the first of the slick runners, down in tenth.

Verstappen was third by Lap 4 and through on Russell on Lap 6. Ferrari’s afternoon looked finished. Leclerc came in for intermediates on Lap 4, had a very slow stop and dropped to last. Hamilton and Norris stayed out on slicks, both already more than a pit stop behind.

Lap 9: Bottas Spins, Safety Car, Slick Switch

Verstappen was 0.7 seconds behind Antonelli on Lap 8. On Lap 9 Antonelli ran wide at the final corner and only just held on in the drag race to Turn 1. Then Bottas lost the rear on softs and went into the gravel. Full Safety Car, called before the leaders reached the final corner. Perfect timing for slicks.

Everyone on intermediates came in. Antonelli and Russell went to mediums. Verstappen and Hadjar went to softs. Lawson took hards. Hamilton stayed out on his original softs and kept the track position. On the way into the pits, Piastri nearly got caught out by a slow-moving Albon ahead of him. The stewards will look at that one after the race.

Lap 13: Verstappen Takes It

Verstappen, on softs, went round the outside of Antonelli into Turn 1 and had him into Turn 2. Russell followed him through as Antonelli wobbled off the racing line. Behind, Bortoleto went down the inside of Sainz at Turn 2 and tagged the Williams into a spin. 10-second time penalty for Bortoleto. Sainz dropped down the order.

Antonelli wasn’t happy on the mediums at first and dropped back from his team mate. By Lap 19 he was telling the team he had more pace. On Lap 21 he went past Russell into Turn 4. Russell didn’t fight it hard. Verstappen was already over four seconds up the road.

Hamilton was coming. Eleventh on Lap 15 on the same set of softs he started on, he cleared Piastri and Lindblad by Lap 20, Ocon on Lap 21 and Lawson on Lap 24 for fifth. Leclerc was back up to ninth.

Antonelli’s one slip came on Lap 25. He went too deep into the final corner, clipped the bollard at the pit lane entry and asked the team to check his front wing. Verstappen’s lead went out to 7.4 seconds and then 8.8 by Lap 29.

The Pit Window: Verstappen Out of Sight

Leclerc pitted for used softs on Lap 29. Hadjar and Hamilton came in together on Lap 32, Red Bull covering the Ferrari. Russell pitted on Lap 33 for softs, then Verstappen and Antonelli on Lap 34, both on softs. Hamilton ended up on used mediums, told they had to go to the end, and said they felt terrible.

Verstappen led by 10.2 seconds on Lap 36 and 12 seconds by Lap 43. Hadjar held Hamilton off for lap after lap in fourth. It looked done.

Lap 43: Albon Stops, Race Flips

Albon parked up with a broken gearbox right by a gap in the barriers. Virtual Safety Car. Verstappen pitted from the lead for used softs. Antonelli and Russell stayed out for track position, and Antonelli led the race.

It didn’t last. Mercedes boxed both cars under the VSC on Lap 45. On Lap 46 the full Safety Car was called, with a tractor needed to move the Williams. Verstappen was back in front, Antonelli second, Russell third. Hamilton and Leclerc pitted too, Hamilton taking used softs, and Hadjar came in again to cover him. Piastri and Norris were the last of the front runners to stop.

Lap 50: Russell Parks Up

Still behind the Safety Car, Russell pulled over on the main straight. Hands on his helmet. Mercedes said it was a power unit issue. In the same moment Norris, caught out by the leaders backing up, slid off into the gravel. He rejoined but wasn’t allowed to retake the places under the Safety Car and dropped to 11th.

Antonelli was straight on the radio asking what had happened. The team said they would diagnose it later. Russell was third and on course for big points. He leaves Sepang with nothing.

The Final Sprint: Ferrari Finish the Job

The race went green on Lap 52 with 19 minutes left on the race clock, more than three hours after it was due to start. Verstappen got the restart right and was clean away from Antonelli, who was cautious with his team mate out.

Then Ferrari finished the comeback. Hamilton went past Hadjar down the main straight on Lap 53 for third. One lap later Leclerc took Hadjar into Turn 1 for fourth. The car that was last on Lap 5 finished fourth.

Norris fought back into the points, clearing Lindblad and then Hülkenberg, and chased Alonso to the line. Alonso held him off for eighth, a rare points finish for Aston Martin. Lindblad got Hülkenberg on the last lap for tenth.

Verstappen crossed the line 2.307 seconds clear of Antonelli. Hamilton third, 4.919 seconds back. Verstappen won the last Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang in 2017. Nine years later, he won there again.

From the Podium: Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 Malaysia Race Report

Final Classification: Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 Malaysia Race Report

Final classification per FIA Document 60. Russell classified 20th after completing 49 laps. Albon and Bottas not classified. Fastest lap: Verstappen, 1:38.220 on Lap 55. Bortoleto served a 10-second time penalty during the race for causing a collision with Sainz. No further action for Albon after slowing on the pit entry road in front of Piastri (Document 57). Audi fined €30,000, €20,000 of it suspended, after a premature green light during Hülkenberg’s pit stop created an unsafe situation; the stewards ruled it wasn’t an unsafe release (Document 58). Norris reprimanded for driving erratically behind the Safety Car (Document 59).

Tyres and Strategy: Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 Malaysia Race Report

Pirelli brought the C2 Hard, C3 Medium and C4 Soft to Sepang. The rain before the start brought the Intermediate into play, so four compounds were used across the race: Intermediate, Soft, Medium and Hard. The Full Wet stayed in the garage. 72 pit stops in total.

Every car lined up for the original formation laps on Intermediates. The split came after the red flag, when teams could change tyres before the restart. Nine drivers stayed on Intermediates: Verstappen, Antonelli, Russell, Hadjar, Lawson, Lindblad, Ocon, Sainz and Albon. Hamilton, Leclerc, Hülkenberg, Colapinto, Bearman, Gasly, Bortoleto, Perez and Bottas started on Softs. Piastri, Norris, Alonso and Stroll went for Mediums.

It was still too wet for slicks. Six more drivers switched to Intermediates in the opening laps: Perez on Lap 1, Piastri, Hülkenberg, Stroll and Bortoleto on Lap 2, and Leclerc on Lap 3. Hamilton, Norris, Gasly, Colapinto, Bearman and Alonso stayed out on slicks.

“Sepang provided the first real opportunity this season to see significant use of the Intermediate tyre,” said Pirelli Motorsport Director Dario Marrafuschi. “In the conditions encountered today, its performance was positive, delivering a high level of grip and consistent performance throughout its stint length.”

Bottas’s off on Lap 9 brought out the Safety Car with the track almost dry, and the whole field went to slicks. Verstappen took new Softs. Hadjar took used Softs. Both Mercedes went onto new Mediums. Lawson, Lindblad, Piastri, Norris, Alonso and Stroll all bolted on Hards. Hamilton was the exception, staying out on the Softs he started on.

Each driver on the podium got there a different way. Verstappen ran Intermediate, Soft, Soft, Soft, stopping on Laps 9, 33 and 43. Antonelli ran Intermediate, Medium, Soft, Soft, stopping on Laps 9, 33 and 44. Hamilton ran Soft, Medium, Soft with two stops, on Laps 31 and 43, and never used an Intermediate. His opening stint on Softs lasted 31 laps.

Verstappen’s second stop on Lap 33 came ten laps before the Virtual Safety Car, which was later upgraded to a full Safety Car. He and Antonelli both used the neutralisation for an extra stop and another set of used Softs. Nine of the top ten finished on Softs, Piastri the exception on used Mediums.

The weather did the tyres a favour. Temperatures were noticeably lower than on the previous days, and after the downpour the track stayed damp for much of the race. That kept tyre temperatures in check and cut thermal degradation on a highly abrasive surface. The Soft took full advantage.

Rest of the Grid: Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 Malaysia Race Report

McLaren: The Wrong Tyre and the Fourth-Fastest Car

Both McLarens were on Mediums when the blankets came off for the restart. Piastri boxed at the end of the first lap for Intermediates before the standing start. Norris stayed out, and McLaren say the cars on slicks were lapping around 15 seconds slower in the opening laps. Both stopped for Hards under the Lap 9 Safety Car, Piastri from P10 and Norris from P15.

“The initial gamble to start on the Medium tyres didn’t work out; the grip just wasn’t there as we had anticipated, it was a collective decision, and in hindsight, it was the wrong one,” Norris said.

McLaren split the strategies at the second stops, Piastri onto another set of Hards and Norris onto Softs. Piastri had cut a 7.5-second gap to Leclerc to under two seconds when the Virtual Safety Car came out. Ferrari stopped under the VSC. McLaren stayed out and only came in once it became a full Safety Car, double-stacking both cars. Piastri finished where he started, sixth. Norris dropped to 11th after his trip through the gravel behind the Safety Car, fought back to ninth and took a reprimand. “The incident behind the Safety Car was my mistake,” he said.

Stella wants McLaren back to the level they showed around the summer break, “when we secured two wins and three Pole positions.” Piastri pointed at the team that won today: “we can see the progress our rivals are making, which was clear from Red Bull’s performance this weekend.”

Racing Bulls: Double Points and a Win for Their Engine

Racing Bulls called it right on Intermediates, and Lawson made the most of it. He started 11th and called it one of the best starts of his life, fought Verstappen in the opening laps and ran at the front of the midfield from there. He stopped under the Safety Car for Hards, took a second set later and finished seventh. Team Principal Alan Permane said there were no threats from behind all race.

Lindblad had more to do. He started 22nd, last on the grid, in what he said was his first time driving in the wet. He suffered with more tyre degradation than Lawson, according to Permane, and still got past Hülkenberg on the final lap to take tenth. Lawson said the double points keep Racing Bulls in the fight for fifth in the championship.

Racing Bulls run the same Red Bull Ford engine that won the race, and Permane made a point of it.

Audi: Out of the Points on the Last Lap, Again

Both Audis took new Softs for the restart and switched to Intermediates at the end of the first lap, a call the team say pushed them up the field. Hülkenberg went back to Softs on Lap 8 and ran as high as ninth in the closing stages. Norris and Lindblad both got past him in the final laps, and he finished 11th. “It’s disappointing to miss out on the points on the final lap for the second race running,” Racing Director Allan McNish said.

Bortoleto’s race was over as a points fight at the first restart. His contact with Sainz damaged his front wing and floor, cost him an extra stop and earned him a 10-second penalty. He finished 18th. The team also left with a €30,000 fine, €20,000 of it suspended, after a premature green light during Hülkenberg’s pit stop.

Williams: The Right Call, Then Nothing to Show for It

Williams committed to Intermediates with both cars, and Team Principal James Vowles said it was a good decision. They pulled a clear pit stop gap over the cars behind before the Lap 9 Safety Car let everyone close back up. Sainz climbed from 13th on the grid to sixth. Then Bortoleto hit him at the first restart. “It is a pity because we had a chance at holding on to a good result,” Sainz said. He finished 17th.

Albon started 18th and was in the mix early on Intermediates. A double stack cost him time, a flat spot on the Softs forced an early stop, and he had brake issues before the gearbox failure that ended his race on Lap 43.

Coffee Corner Take

Red Bull Ford Powertrains has won a Grand Prix.

After years of winning with Honda power, Red Bull built its own engine for 2026 with Ford as partner. Fifteen rounds of chasing. Verstappen arrived at Sepang sixth in the championship without a win all season, put the car on pole on Saturday and won with it on Sunday. Ford’s last win came at the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix with Fisichella and Jordan, another wet race ended by a red flag. Twenty-three years later it comes back in the rain.

Hamilton’s Ferrari lost power completely on the formation lap. Lawson was stuck on the grid, Bortoleto and Bottas struggled, and Verstappen briefly lost acceleration. Red Bull Ford, Ferrari and Audi power units, all caught out. The FIA says neither it nor the teams picked up the problem in testing or on the laps to the grid. It took the first wet race of the new regulations to find it, and a software release sent out during the delay to fix it. A full review with the teams and power unit manufacturers comes next. Cars from three different engine makers couldn’t get round behind a Safety Car, and nobody saw it coming.

Ferrari’s start was a mess. Both cars on softs while the leaders went for intermediates, and Hamilton said it himself afterwards: the wrong call. He was a minute down. Leclerc pitted for intermediates, lost time with a slow stop and was last on Lap 5.

Then they salvaged it. Ferrari left Hamilton out on his original softs under the Safety Car and he started picking cars off, eleventh on Lap 15 and fifth by Lap 24. Leclerc came through from the back. Both of them got Hadjar in the last three laps for third and fourth. Hamilton called it the best race he’s had at Sepang, and he’s now 22 points behind Russell for second in the championship.

Russell is the one who pays for today. He won in Baku last time out and was running third here, until the power unit failed behind the Safety Car with five laps to go. Zero points. Mercedes now have a reliability question to answer on top of a weekend where Red Bull had the pace.

Antonelli didn’t win and didn’t need to. Mediums he didn’t like early on and a clip of the pit entry bollard on Lap 25 didn’t stop him bringing it home second without taking a risk at the final restart. He came in 66 clear and leaves with 84.

Verstappen had won at least one race every season since 2016, and 2026 was running out of time to keep that going. He bogged down at the standing start, came back on intermediates and won by over two seconds at the circuit where he won in 2017.

Antonelli leads on 320. Russell is 84 behind on 236, with Hamilton 22 further back and closing on second.