Verstappen claims pole position in wet conditions ahead of rain-affected Bahrain Grand Prix return at Sepang

KUALA LUMPUR, 4 OCTOBER 2026 —

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen claimed his first victory of the 2026 Formula One season at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, the same track where he won the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2017.

The win came after a chaotic, rain‑hit Bahrain Grand Prix that was held at the circuit for the first time since 2017.

The race, which began at 3 p.m. local time, was delayed more than 90 minutes because heavy rain and standing water forced marshals to clear large puddles around the track. When the cars finally started behind the safety car, the formation order had been disrupted: the safety car was briefly caught among the field, and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton had to reset his car after losing acceleration.

Max Verstappen, who had a technical problem during the aborted start, and Isack Hadjar, who aquaplaned into the gravel, were among the drivers affected. Race control restored the original starting order before the race finally began.

Verstappen lost the lead early but fought back to the front and gradually pulled clear. He finished ahead of championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who took second place, and Lewis Hamilton, who recovered from his pre‑race issues and passed Hadjar with fewer than three laps remaining to secure third. Mercedes’ George Russell, who had been running among the leaders, retired with about five laps left after a power‑unit problem forced him to pull over.

The event drew a reported 261,000 spectators and saw 561 Bahraini marshals and motorsport officials travel to Malaysia to work alongside their Malaysian counterparts. The Bahrain Grand Prix was the first Formula One race at Sepang since the circuit hosted the relocated Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in 2017.

The nine‑year gap between Verstappen’s consecutive wins at the circuit mirrors Nigel Mansell’s achievement at Kyalami, where the Briton won the South African Grand Prix in 1985 and again when Formula One returned in 1992.