Bahrain GP 2026 Driver Ratings: Hamilton’s drive of the season

Max Verstappen claimed a historic victory for the new Red Bull-Ford power unit as a chaotic, software-plagued opening lap threw the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix into disarray.

From Lewis Hamilton’s extraordinary recovery drive to intermediate tyre gambles on a drying track, here are our official driver ratings for all 22 drivers at the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Max Verstappen – 9/10

Qualifying: 1 | Race: 1

Verstappen delivered a masterclass at Sepang, securing Red Bull’s first victory with RPBT power. After grabbing pole position in qualifying, his race start was compromised by an engine software bug that meant he bogged down and slipped back. However, he kept his composure, made the right call on intermediate tyres, and soon passed Antonelli on track once the slick conditions settled. He navigated the chaotic software drama and late safety car restarts flawlessly to claim his 72nd career win.

Kimi Antonelli – 8/10

Qualifying: 2 | Race: 2

Antonelli drove a supreme race to maximise Mercedes’ potential on a high-degradation track that didn’t play to the updated W17’s strengths. Taking advantage of Verstappen’s poor start, he leapt into the lead early on. While the Red Bull ultimately possessed superior race pace, Antonelli fought cleanly, handled the software restart delays with maturity, and finished second to extend his championship lead to 84 points. A perfect weekend in Singapore and he’ll be just five points off the title.

Lewis Hamilton – 10/10

Qualifying: 3 | Race: 3

Hamilton demonstrated incredible resilience after a disastrous start to the Bahrain GP. Qualifying 3rd, he was caught on soft slicks on a wet track, dropping to 17th and over a minute behind in the opening minutes of the race. Rather than abandoning the strategy, he managed his tyres patiently until the track dried, carved his way through the field with exceptional long-stint pace, and capitalised on the strategy to complete a remarkable recovery to 3rd – helped by George Russell’s retirement but that fails to take the shine off a superb performance.

Charles Leclerc – 8/10

Qualifying: 5 | Race: 4

Leclerc put in a decent showing during qualifying to start 5th. In the race, Ferrari’s strategic gamble on starting on soft slicks backfired, and a slow pit stop to switch to intermediate tyres (and fix a damaged front wing) dropped him to last on lap 5. Leclerc then picked his way through the field and pulled off a late overtake on Isack Hadjar to salvage a commendable 4th-place finish. Were it not for the damaged wing in the early laps, his score would have been higher.

Isack Hadjar – 6/10

Qualifying: 4 | Race: 5

Hadjar put in a strong weekend, securing an impressive 4th on the grid in qualifying. In the race, despite struggling for grip and battling battery deployment glitches during safety car restarts that hampered his defense on the straights. While he expressed frustration at missing out on a potential podium, holding onto 5th despite technical handicaps represents a solid, reliable day in the car.

Oscar Piastri – 5/10

Qualifying: 7 | Race: 6

Piastri put in a solid, unflashy drive in Sepang. Qualifying 7th, he bailed on the slick tyre strategy immediately after pulling out of the pits. A timely Safety Car neutralised his extra pit stop, while giving him track position over those who’d braved it out longer. Though he struggled for confidence and pace on his initial stint, he found a far strong rhythm later in the race to climb into 8th. It was a steady performance that extracted the maximum result available on a tricky day for McLaren.

Liam Lawson – 9/10

Qualifying: 11 | Race: 7

Lawson delivered a brilliant performance at Sepang, maximising the potential of his Racing Bulls machinery. After narrowly missing out on Q3 in 11th, he overcame a pre-race radio failure to nail his formation lap procedures and execute a superb start, immediately thrusting himself into battle with Max Verstappen. He displayed composure and strong race pace throughout both stints, keeping it clean as others faltered to secure an impressive 7th-place finish and crucial points.

Fernando Alonso – 9/10

Qualifying: 12 | Race: 8

Alonso delivered a masterclass at Sepang, completely outdriving the machinery at his disposal. Taking advantage of a circuit layout that masked Aston Martin’s power-unit deficit, he dragged the car into Q2 for a season-best 12th in qualifying. During the race, despite an early strategic gamble starting on slicks, he navigated chaotic safety cars and erratic restarts with the composure one would expect of a 400-race veteran. Pulling off key overtakes and holding off faster midfield rivals in the closing stages, Alonso claimed a season-best 8th place finish—a massive result for the team.

Lando Norris – 4/10

Qualifying: 5 | Race: 9

Norris endured a difficult outing after starting 5th on the grid. Gambling on slick tyres at the start backfired significantly as the crossover point took far longer than anticipated, costing him significant race time and he eventually had to pit for intermediates. The safety car brought him back into contention and he made progress akin to teammate Oscar Piastri, but sending it off the road in the final laps, under safety car conditions, was a significant error.

Arvid Lindblad – 7/10

Qualifying: 10 | Race: 10

Lindblad delivered a strong, mature drive to secure a points finish in chaotic conditions. Though he initially pushed for slicks, he ultimately trusted his team’s call to start on intermediates and quickly switched engine modes to bypass a formation-lap throttle failure. Despite admitting his own driving wasn’t flawless and conceding positions earlier in the race, he produced decisive overtakes on the final laps to climb into 9th place.

Nico Hulkenberg – 5/10

Qualifying: 15 | Race: 11

Hulkenberg put in a solid, workmanlike shift that ultimately resulted in a standard performance. Starting on slicks was too ambitious, though he minimised the damage by switching to intermediate tyres early on and recovering well. A slow pit stop involving a jammed front-wing wheel gun meant he missed out on the final points-paying positions, finishing 11th in a drive that essentially matched the Audi’s current capabilities.

Lance Stroll – 5/10

Qualifying: 14 | Race: 12

Stroll put in a clean performance and saw the chequered flag on the lead lap for the first time in 2026. He drove well to bring the car into top-10 contention during the race’s middle phase but tyre management on the late hard stint ultimately sapped his pace, and he fell to 12th position at the flag.

Franco Colapinto – 5/10

Qualifying: 18 | Race: 13

Colapinto took a strategic gamble by starting on slick tyres from the back of the grid. Though he demonstrated strong raw pace later on the medium and hard compounds while making overtakes, his race was compromised by the early tyre misjudgment.

Oliver Bearman – 5/10

Qualifying: 14 | Race: 14

Bearman suffered a frustrating afternoon after his team overruled him by starting him on slick tyres in wet conditions. Forced to scramble through a costly early pit stop after the strategy backfired, he dropped 40 seconds off the midfield pace. While he showed strong single-lap execution, managed his tyres well, and eventually overtook the Alpine once swapped to hard tyres, his overall result was heavily compromised by early strategic errors.

Esteban Ocon – 7/10

Qualifying: 13 | Race: 15

Ocon showcased sharp racecraft in tricky, chaotic early conditions, carving his way up to sixth position after making the correct strategy call to stay on intermediate tyres. He pulled off clean overtakes on Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, and Arvid Lindblad and extracted strong performance from the Haas when the track was at its most treacherous.

Pierre Gasly – 4/10

Qualifying: 9 | Race: 16

Pierre Gasly showed respectable one-lap speed to put his Alpine ninth on the grid, but his race slick tyre strategy backfired completely. He spun off during the formation lap while attempting to generate tyre temperature, lost substantial time nursing the slick compound through the early laps, and ultimately finished in 16th.

Carlos Sainz – 5/10

Qualifying: 13 | Race: 17

Carlos Sainz performed reasonably well during qualifying to put his Williams 13th on the grid. He executed a clean early strategy, making progress into point-scoring positions on inters. However, his race was compromised after being spun out by Gabriel Bortoleto in Turn 2. Beyond the contact, sluggish pit stops and a lack of pace on a drying track meant Sainz could not recover, ultimately crossing the line in 17th. With circumstances largely outside his control, his performance was solid but not a standout.

Gabriel Bortoleto – 4/10

Qualifying: 10 | Race: 18

Gabriel Bortoleto delivered a strong effort in Saturday’s qualifying session to reach Q3 and line up tenth on the grid. However, his race went downhill during a wheel-to-wheel battle on slicks in tricky, semi-damp conditions. Attempting a late-braking manoeuvre into Turn 2 on Carlos Sainz, Bortoleto hit a damp patch, locked up his front tyres, and spun the Williams, damaging his own front wing in the process.

Sergio Perez – 5/10

Qualifying: 22 | Race: 19

Sergio Perez experienced a tumultuous weekend at Sepang. He made the right strategic call to pit for intermediate tyres early as wet conditions emerged, briefly holding an advantage over those on slicks. From there, the lack of pace in his Cadillac meant he ultimately slipped back down the order, but it was a reasonable performance from the Mexican nonetheless.

George Russell – 5/10

Qualifying: 7 | Race: DNF

George Russell delivered a solid, controlled drive at Sepang, making a rapid start and remaining in line for a secure third-place finish behind teammate Kimi Antonelli. However, his race came to a premature end on Lap 51 when a power unit failure forced him to retire. While the mechanical failure was completely out of his control, an underwhelming qualifying effort, and being out-performed by Kimi Antonelli, leaves his performance standard just below a benchmark mark on an unfortunate weekend.

Alex Albon – 5/10

Qualifying: 18 | Race: DNF

Alex Albon endured a frustrating and compromised weekend. Battling persistent brake leaks and sub-optimal secondary parts, he made initial progress early in the wet conditions by climbing into eighth place on intermediates. However, his race quickly unravelled due to a costly double-stack pit stop, flat-spotting his tyres as a result of the ongoing brake issues, and ultimately being forced to retire the car.

Valtteri Bottas – 5/10

Qualifying: 19 | Race: DNF

Valtteri Bottas took a strategy risk with slick tyres and was quickly punished for it. With the circuit remaining damp, he lost control while trying to build tyre temperature and spun out of the race. In such conditions, and given Cadillac’s position, the strategy risk was a reasonable call and his retirement, while far from ideal, can perhaps be accepted as the price to pay for rolling the dice on a gamble with a potentially strong upside.

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