Max Verstappen took his first Formula 1 win of 2026 in a chaotic, rain-hit Bahrain Grand Prix held at Sepang, with Kimi Antonelli second and Lewis Hamilton third.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Sunday, his first victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Reuters reported the start was delayed by more than 90 minutes because of treacherous rain at the Sepang International Circuit.
Verstappen, who had taken pole, lost the lead before the first corner and still won. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished second for Mercedes. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton was third after a tyre gamble dropped him to 18th early in the race, Reuters and Sky Sports reported.
Sky Sports listed Charles Leclerc fourth and Isack Hadjar fifth. Antonelli's teammate George Russell, described as his closest title rival, retired with a suspected power-unit issue while running third with five laps left.
The race was the return of a Bahrain-titled round to Sepang. Verstappen was the last driver to win there in 2017, before the circuit left the calendar, Reuters noted. Sky Sports said the chequered flag fell almost three and a half hours after the scheduled start.
Malaysia is hosting the round; the result is filed under World because the event is an international championship race rather than a national political or economic decision.
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- Sky Sports quoted Martin Brundle calling it one of the craziest Formula 1 races he had seen.
- No driver radio quotes are included beyond the reported result.