Max Verstappen claimed his first victory of the 2026 Formula One season after mastering a chaotic, rain-hit Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, beating championship leader Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton recovered from 18th to complete the podium.
Formula One’s return to Sepang for the first time since 2017 produced one of the most dramatic races of the season, with heavy rain delaying the start by more than 90 minutes before changing conditions, tyre gambles and two Safety Car periods transformed the order.
Verstappen had started from pole but lost the advantage early as Mercedes emerged strongly in the difficult conditions.
The Red Bull driver recovered as the race developed, with his team’s decision to use intermediate tyres proving crucial as several rivals struggled after gambling on slicks.
“It was very hectic with a lot of different things at the start – no power [on the first formation lap in the rain] because you have to wait for the power to kick in,” Verstappen explained.
“We made the right call with the intermediates. After that, step by step we moved out way forward.
“From there, once we could do our own race then we had the Safety Car but we kept it all under control.”
Once back in front, Verstappen established a lead of more than 10 seconds over Antonelli before a late Safety Car erased his advantage and set up a final sprint to the chequered flag.
The four-time world champion controlled the restart to secure his first win since the 2025 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the 72nd victory of his Formula One career.
“It’s a really nice one [win] after the year we’ve had and the progression we have made,” said Verstappen.
“I’m incredibly proud of everyone. Just super nice to win here.”
Behind him, Antonelli strengthened his grip on the championship with second place on an afternoon that proved costly for Mercedes team-mate and title rival George Russell.
Russell had been running third before suffering a suspected power-unit failure with five laps remaining, ending his race and leaving Antonelli with an 84-point championship advantage.
“Today was the maximum we could have done. Massive congrats to Max and Red Bull for the incredible weekend,” Antonelli said.
“On our side, a lot of work to do. We have been struggling more than usual but I’m still happy to come away with P2.”
Hamilton’s route to third was considerably less straightforward.
After qualifying second, Ferrari’s decision to gamble on slick tyres in the wet opening phase sent Hamilton tumbling down the order. He fell as low as 18th and at one point found himself more than a minute behind the leaders.
A Safety Car brought him back into contention and Hamilton began a charge through the field as Ferrari navigated the changing conditions.
Russell’s retirement opened the door to the podium, but Hamilton still had to find a way past Hadjar.
He did so on lap 53, attacking the Red Bull and sweeping around the outside on the run to Turn 1 to take third.
Charles Leclerc then followed his Ferrari team-mate through the order, passing Hadjar during the closing stages to claim fourth and complete a major recovery for the Scuderia.
Hadjar finished fifth ahead of Oscar Piastri, with Liam Lawson seventh for Racing Bulls. Fernando Alonso took eighth for Aston Martin, Lando Norris finished ninth for McLaren and Arvid Lindblad completed the points in 10th.
The final top ten was Verstappen, Antonelli, Hamilton, Leclerc, Hadjar, Piastri, Lawson, Alonso, Norris and Lindblad.
The victory completed a perfect turnaround weekend for Verstappen, who had also secured his first pole position of the season on Saturday.
For Antonelli, second place proved equally significant in the championship battle. With Russell failing to score, the Italian leaves Sepang 84 points clear of his Mercedes team-mate with seven rounds remaining.
Formula One now heads directly to Singapore for the final Sprint weekend of the 2026 season.
