2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia: Recap
The Bahrain Grand Prix was hosted in Malaysia this year. The last time we saw the Sepang International Circuit in Formula 1 was in 2017, when Max Verstappen (Red Bull) won. The starting grid for 2026 included Isack Hadjar, who started P8 after a five-place grid drop penalty. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) started in P3, Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) in P2, and Verstappen in the pole position.
After a weather delay, the drivers began the formation lap, but it quickly became apparent that multiple drivers had issues with their cars. Hadjar went into the gravel, and his teammate, Verstappen, reported he could not accelerate. Hamilton reported issues as well, and then half the cars on the track stopped due to a technical issue. The FIA later reported that it was a software glitch caused by the wet weather. After an additional delay, the race was cleared to start.
The track had dried up a bit after the long wait, and at the race start, both Mercedes moved into P1 and P2 after passing Verstappen. Antonelli went into P1 and George Russell jumped into P2 from P7. Liam Lawson moved up from P11 to P4. Antonelli was told to “work together” with his teammate. Fighting could lead to faster degradation on the intermediate tires, and they had to be careful in the unpredictable conditions.
Verstappen continued to push, putting the pressure on Russell, passing him on lap 6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) had fallen behind to P17 after changing to intermediates. On lap 9, Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) went into the gravel, and a safety car was deployed with almost everyone going into the pits.
By lap 21, Verstappen was back in the pole position. Russell was in P2 with Antonelli just behind. Antonelli reported to his team, “I have more pace.” However, he was not permitted to switch, so he overtook Russell on his own. On lap 33, Russell pitted again. He switched to soft tires, and the team informed him he would take them to the end: “Why have we pulled the trigger so early?” Either way, on the next lap Verstappen and Antonelli pit as well. The track conditions led to many teams having to pit two to three times. Leclerc had moved into P6.
Alex Albon (Williams) suffered a gearbox failure, and a safety car was deployed on lap 43. Verstappen pitted again with only ten laps left. Antonelli got past him into the lead because of it, but Verstappen had the fresh tires. Hamilton pitted as well, followed by Antonelli and Russell. By lap 50, Verstappen had taken the pole position once more. Unexpectedly, Russell’s car came to a halt, and he was out of the race with a power unit failure. Lando Norris (McLaren) went into the gravel as well, but he got back onto the track.
Verstappen remained in P1 with Antonelli behind. Hadjar had moved into P3, but Hamilton was not giving up the fight for the podium. He passed Hadjar, and the crowd erupted in a roar. On the final lap, Verstappen won the Grand Prix! Antonelli got P2, and Hamilton got P3. Followed by Leclerc and then Hadjar. Fernando Alonso got his season’s best in P8, and ending out the points was Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls).
In the post-race interview, Verstappen said that his team kept believing in the win and, “it’s really special to win here, and very special with our own engine.” Antonelli said that he was happy with his P2 result due to the pace he had. Russell was visibly upset as he noted he was on course for the podium but with another failure, “this is where we are.” He had needed the win if he wanted to tighten up the championship, although he remains in second.
Heading into Singapore this weekend, expect humidity, expect tight racing, and most of all, a good fight. Tune in to the next race, the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, Sunday, October 11, with East Bay F1! More details are available here.
