Verstappen Claims Malaysian Grand Prix Pole

Kaula Lumpur Max Verstappen returned to the top of the Formula 1 qualifying order in emphatic fashion, securing his first pole position of the 2026 season for the Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit. The Red Bull driver dominated the early stages of qualifying, topping both Q1 and Q2 before saving his decisive effort for the final lap. Verstappen posted a time of 1:35.130 to take pole, finishing 0.298 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who produced his strongest lap of the weekend to secure second place. Isack Hadjar appeared on course for a front-row start after an impressive qualifying session, but a five-place grid penalty dropped him to eighth for the race. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri qualified sixth and seventh respectively, while Mercedes’ George Russell took eighth. Pierre Gasly and Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top 10. The qualifying battle remained open after three different teams topped the three practice sessions. Verstappen led FP1, Leclerc topped FP2 and Antonelli was fastest in FP3. Verstappen then asserted himself in Q2, becoming the first driver to break into the 1:36 range with a 1:35.696 lap before improving further in Q3. Antonelli recovered from having his first Q2 lap deleted for exceeding track limits and eventually secured fourth place on fresh soft tyres. Further down the order, Liam Lawson qualified 11th but will start from the back because of a power-unit change. Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll followed, while Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missed Q2. Alex Albon qualified 20th.