Max Verstappen Claims Victory at Sepang
We’re all very much invested in it,
Max Verstappen said after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, reflecting on the milestone victory for Red Bull Racing and his family. Verstappen secured a chaotic race win at the Sepang International Circuit, delivering his first grand prix victory of the 2026 season and the first win for Red Bull’s power unit project, motorsport.com reported.
The race began under torrential tropical downpours that forced a delayed start. When cars finally got underway on intermediate tires, pole-sitter Verstappen and front-row starter Lewis Hamilton immediately lost ground as Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell swept into first and second places. Hamilton’s early gamble on soft slick tires failed on the wet track, dropping him to the back of the field. Verstappen fought back past Russell on lap six and chased down Antonelli before a safety car deployed on lap nine for Valtteri Bottas’s spun Cadillac.
Verstappen Controls Pace After Switching to Slick Tires
Following the safety car period, leaders switched to slick tires as the Sepang track dried out. Verstappen immediately passed Antonelli at Turn Four when racing resumed four laps later. From that moment onward, the Red Bull driver controlled the pace and pulled away from the chasing pack. Behind him, Antonelli overtook Russell for second place on lap 21, establishing the top three positions for much of the afternoon.
The event marked F1’s return to Malaysia for the first time in nine years, substituting for the canceled Bahrain fixture. A late safety car deployed after Alex Albon’s Williams stopped on track forced a four-lap dash sprint to the finish line. Verstappen remained completely unchallenged at the front, setting the race’s fastest lap of 1:38.220 on lap 55 to claim victory by 2.307 seconds over Antonelli.
Late Drama Shatters Mercedes Title Hopes
Late-race chaos struck Mercedes when George Russell pulled off track with an engine failure just before Turn One with five laps remaining, shattering his championship aspirations. The retirement handed a title advantage to Kimi Antonelli, who extended his drivers’ championship lead to 320 points, holding an 84-point margin over Russell with seven meetings remaining.
Behind the leaders, Lewis Hamilton claimed third place for Ferrari, followed by teammate Charles Leclerc in fourth. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar finished fifth, capping a strong weekend for the Milton Keynes squad following their double podium in Azerbaijan. Verstappen’s victory propelled him to sixth in the drivers’ standings, now level on 188 points with fifth-placed Lando Norris.
Why the Bahrain Grand Prix Moved to Malaysia?
Why was the Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia?
The race took place at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia as a replacement after the originally scheduled Bahrain Grand Prix meeting was canceled, marking F1’s first visit to Sepang in nine years.
Who won the drivers’ championship points for the podium positions?
Max Verstappen took the win, Kimi Antonelli earned second place, and Lewis Hamilton collected third for Ferrari.
What caused the early race delays at Sepang?
A torrential tropical downpour soaked the circuit before the scheduled start time, forcing race control to delay the start.