Five quick takeaways from Bahrain GP in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, 4 OCTOBER 2026 —

Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing have secured a victory at the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix held at the Sepang International Circuit, effectively averting a winless season for the Dutch driver and his team.

The significance of this victory extends beyond the immediate points tally, as it demonstrates that Red Bull’s final upgrade package of the year has yielded tangible results beyond the Baku City Circuit. During the Dutch media session in Baku, Verstappen had candidly stated that the team had “done a great job messing up” its best chance to win a race in 2026.

However, the subsequent performance in Malaysia suggests that the technical issues plaguing the car earlier in the season have been addressed. The turnaround is described as remarkable, especially when contrasted with the team’s difficulties in China and Japan, where Red Bull had to contend with rivals such as Alpine and Haas.

Despite the victory, Verstappen himself emphasized that not all of Red Bull’s problems have been solved. The team’s progress has been inconsistent, and while the win at Sepang is a crucial psychological and technical milestone, it does not guarantee sustained dominance for the remainder of the season.

The chaotic nature of the race itself, characterized by a highly disordered opening phase and multiple safety car interventions, added a layer of unpredictability that tested the team’s ability to manage race strategy under pressure.

Mercedes, meanwhile, introduced its long-awaited aerodynamic package to Malaysia, headlined by a redesigned floor. The introduction of this upgrade was anticipated to provide a significant performance boost, potentially allowing the Silver Arrows to challenge for podium finishes more consistently. However, the jury remains out on the true efficacy of the new-look Mercedes W17.

The form table in Malaysia appeared inconclusive due to the extremely rough tarmac at Sepang, which is considered an outlier on the calendar. Combined with the intense heat, these conditions induced characteristics from the car that team boss Toto Wolff described as “things we haven't seen all year.”

Wolff maintained that the team still believes the upgrade package works as expected, even though Mercedes was well beaten by Verstappen during the weekend. He stated after qualifying, “We still believe that the upgrade works. We just need to understand why not here.” The team predicts that Malaysia’s specific conditions were a one-off scenario that did not accurately reflect the car’s potential on more conventional circuits.

This perspective suggests that Mercedes will continue to develop the car with the expectation that the upgrade will yield better results in future races where track surface and weather conditions are less extreme.

The race also had profound implications for the drivers’ championship, specifically regarding George Russell’s title bid. Russell initially appeared to capitalize on the early chaos by overtaking his team-mate Kimi Antonelli for second place in the opening laps. However, he lacked the pace to pull away, and Antonelli regained second place and the lead among Mercedes drivers on the road.

The situation deteriorated for Russell when Alex Albon’s Williams suffered a mechanical failure with 10 laps remaining, triggering a late safety car restart. As the pack lined up for the restart, Russell’s Mercedes came to a halt just before Turn 1 due to an engine failure, ending his race.

This incident echoes a similar event in 2016, when Lewis Hamilton suffered a cruel engine failure in the closing stages of a race at Sepang, which was a hammer blow to his title hopes against Nico Rosberg. Ten years later, the same fate befell Russell against Antonelli.

All Russell could do was watch as Antonelli collected a healthy haul of points, extending his championship lead to an almost impossible gap of 84 points for his team-mate to bridge over the final rounds of the season. The failure effectively extinguished any realistic chance Russell had of challenging for the title, consolidating Antonelli’s position at the top of the standings.

Aston Martin also had a noteworthy weekend, with Fernando Alonso capping the team’s best performance of 2026 with a top-10 finish. Points finishes are a rarity for the Silverstone-based team in recent years, making Alonso’s eighth-place result particularly significant. More encouraging for the team was that the result was not merely a stroke of luck, as they had shown respectable pace in Saturday’s qualifying, getting both cars into Q2 for the first time this season.

Lance Stroll, usually reserved in media interactions, described the event as “our most competitive event” of 2026.

Both Alonso and Stroll demonstrated solid race pace once the early chaos had settled. Alonso converted this pace into 10th place on merit, which later became eighth, while Stroll finished 12th. This was only the third time an Aston Martin had finished in the points this year, with Alonso delivering on each occasion.

While this result will not change the overall course of the team’s season, it provides a foundation to build upon for an outfit that has suffered more than any other under the new regulations for 2026. The consistency shown in qualifying and the race suggests that the team is making incremental progress in adapting to the new technical rules.

The race itself was marred by significant operational issues during the formation laps, raising questions about the readiness of the new-for-2026 regulations. F1 bosses had previously insisted that “all is well and nothing to see here,” a mantra that had been less necessary as teething issues were smoothed out over the first two-thirds of the year. However, the prospect of the first wet race of the new era exposed fresh headaches.

The initial decision to delay the start by 40 minutes due to rain deluge during the national anthems was appropriate on safety grounds. However, multiple cars suffered suspected software glitches during the two formation laps in the wet, causing chaos and necessitating a red flag.

The scene was described as farcical, with the safety car coming into the pitlane in the middle of the pack. A behind-closed-doors test in Barcelona in January, which included a day of wet running, was meant to iron out these issues away from the public spotlight. The fact that these problems persisted suggests that the testing did not adequately address the specific challenges of wet-weather formation laps.

Fans were denied a proper wet-to-dry race, with the entire grid back on slicks after 14 laps due to the extended delays between the red flag and the proper race start.

The incident has prompted calls for F1 to be humble and honest about the failings that occurred. Serious questions need to be asked about how these issues happened and how they can be solved. The reliance on the “everything is great” insistence held by F1 throughout the year is now being challenged by the visible operational errors at Sepang.

The need to learn from this incident without the previous insistence on perfection is becoming increasingly apparent to stakeholders and fans alike.

The Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang thus serves as a complex chapter in the 2026 season, highlighting both the technical progress of Red Bull and the ongoing struggles of other teams. While Verstappen’s win provides a much-needed boost for Red Bull, the engine failure of Russell and the operational chaos of the formation laps underscore the unpredictability and challenges that remain in the new regulatory era.

The 84-point lead held by Antonelli in the championship makes the title race effectively decided, shifting focus to the remaining teams fighting for mid-table positions and the constructors’ championship.

As the season moves toward its conclusion, the lessons from Sepang will be crucial for teams and F1 management. Red Bull must maintain its momentum to secure further victories, while Mercedes needs to validate its upgrade package on more representative circuits. Aston Martin can use its improved performance as a baseline for further development.

For F1, the incident at Sepang serves as a reminder that the new regulations require continuous refinement and honest assessment to ensure a smooth and competitive remainder of the season. The next races will test whether these adjustments can be implemented effectively under the pressure of championship contention.

The impact of the race extends to the broader narrative of the 2026 season, where the transition to new regulations has been a central theme. The ability of teams to adapt to these changes will determine their success in the coming years. Red Bull’s success in Malaysia suggests that they have found a solution to some of their earlier problems, while the struggles of others highlight the steep learning curve associated with the new rules.

The data and feedback from Sepang will be invaluable for teams as they prepare for the final stretch of the season, aiming to optimize their cars for the remaining circuits.

In conclusion, the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia was a pivotal event that reshaped the dynamics of the 2026 Formula One season. It provided a clear indication of where the competitive balance stands, with Red Bull emerging as the strongest team, Mercedes facing uncertainty regarding its upgrades, and Aston Martin showing signs of improvement.

The operational issues during the race also serve as a cautionary tale for F1, emphasizing the need for rigorous testing and honest communication with stakeholders. As the season progresses, the focus will shift to how these teams and the governing body can leverage the insights gained from Sepang to enhance the quality and reliability of the remaining races.