Max Verstappen wins Bahrain GP at Sepang

SEPANG

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen mastered treacherous weather conditions to claim a brilliant victory in a chaotic, rain-delayed Bahrain Grand Prix held at the Sepang International Circuit. The race start was delayed by more than 90 minutes after heavy downpours swept across the track, staging the first wet-weather test for the sport's 2026-generation cars. For Verstappen, who also secured pole position, the triumph marks his first win of the season and a historic milestone for Red Bull, delivering the team's inaugural victory powered by their newly developed in-house power unit. "It's a really nice one after the year that we've had and the progression that we've made. So I'm incredibly proud of everyone," said Verstappen, who previously won the final Malaysian Grand Prix held at Sepang in 2017 before the venue left the Formula One calendar. The wet start split the grid between intermediate and slick tires, instantly triggering high drama. When the lights went out, Mercedes championship leader Kimi Antonelli surged from third to grab the lead, while teammate George Russell rocketed from seventh to second. Verstappen slipped back initially before launching a stellar recovery, diving past Russell on lap six and hunting down Antonelli. A safety car deployment following Valtteri Bottas's spin into the gravel allowed front-runners to pit for slick tires. As racing resumed, Verstappen expertly outmaneuvered Antonelli at Turn 3 to reclaim the lead. Mid-race drama unfolded as Antonelli battled his teammate, eventually overtaking Russell on lap 21, though a subsequent mistake at Turn 15 cost the young Italian crucial time. Late-race safety car interventions compressed the field, setting up a thrilling sprint to the checkered flag. Heartbreak struck Mercedes with just five laps remaining when George Russell was forced to park his car on the main straight due to a suspected power unit failure while running third, handing his teammate a reprieve and ending a strong weekend prematurely. Capitalizing on the chaos, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton delivered a sensational recovery drive. After starting 18th following an early tire gamble that left him trailing at the back, Hamilton kept his head down, executed flawless pit stops, and fought his way through the pack. During the final-lap shootout behind a late safety car, Hamilton overtook Red Bull's Isack Hadjar to snatch a remarkable third place. Kimi Antonelli held on to finish second, extending his commanding lead in the drivers' championship over the retired Russell. Meanwhile, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc salvaged fourth ahead of Hadjar in fifth and McLaren's Oscar Piastri in sixth. Liam Lawson crossed the line seventh, while Fernando Alonso secured eighth for Aston Martin, marking the team's best competitive result of the 2026 season so far.