Bahrain GP in Malaysia: Verstappen wins; Russell DNF; rain triggers utter chaos

Max Verstappen picked up where he left off at Sepang, winning an absolute classic Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

From shambolic wet-weather scenes, to George Russell heartbreak, a stellar Lewis Hamilton recovery drive and more, Sepang delivered an all-time F1 classic.

Max Verstappen wins incredible Bahrain GP in Malaysia

The weather models suggested a diminishing prospect of rain as the race weekend progressed. Malaysian rain is unpredictable!

Rain cells began appearing on the radar, suddenly merging to spark very heavy pre-race precipitation and lightning. The start was delayed.

Minus those couple of damp laps at Zandvoort, the F1 2026 cars had not run in true wet conditions before. A mandatory power reduction to 250kW was put into effect.

Even Bernd Mayländer was suffering with some aquaplaning as he ventured out in the Medical Car for a closer look.

After a 40-minute delay, the formation laps could finally be held behind the Safety Car.

All drivers went for the green-walled intermediate tyres.

Isack Hadjar was off into the gravel after a snap through Turn 3. He kept momentum to drive through and return to the track. He did not drop to the back, so could regain his P8 position.

Verstappen was struggling to accelerate. Liam Lawson had bother getting off the grid.

Trouble for Ferrari. “I’m pressing the throttle and nothing is happening,” said Hamilton over the radio.

“It’s a software issue we’re trying to solve,” the seven-time world champion was told as he briefly stopped down the back straight and got going again.

The Ferrari-powered Haas and Cadillac cars also appeared to be affected.

With cars scattered throughout the track, the order a mess, the starting procedure was suspended. The cars, with the Safety Car mid-pack, came into the pit lane.

Amid the bizarre scenes, chaos and confusion, one piece of clarity to emerge was that the race had not officially started.

The original grid order would be used for the race start.

Thunder and lightning briefly returned to the vicinity, not that it was of consequence, as the wait for track action continued.

Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord told Sky F1 that teams had been sent some new software to upload by the FIA, a potential response to the difficulties of the formation lap.

At last, a race start time of 16:33 local was confirmed. More than 90 minutes had passed since the Bahrain GP in Malaysia was originally due to begin.

It was a mixture of inters and slicks. The track was basically dry at this point. Verstappen was on inters, Hamilton softs. Gasly was soon off over the grass, as the dry-tyre runners struggled.

Leclerc was also on softs, the McLarens on mediums.

When the drivers had left the pit lane, behind the Safety Car, that was considered Lap 1 of the race.

As a standing start was confirmed for the start of Lap 3, Sergio Perez pitted for inters.

Piastri dived into the pits. Norris took the start still on mediums. Bortoleto also boxed for inters.

Perez came back into the pit lane.

Lights out! Antonelli and Russell breezed either side of Verstappen into a Mercedes one-two. Lawson challenged Verstappen for third, but the Dutchman held on.

Mercedes quickly made the call for their drivers to work together.

Hamilton, Leclerc, Norris and all on slicks dropped to the back, as that gamble backfired.

Leclerc was in for a 12.1-second stop as Lap 4 began, a front wing change required after clipping Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi on the first racing lap. That incident was briefly noted by the FIA stewards, but no further action was taken.

Antonelli, Russell, Verstappen, Lawson, Hadjar, Sainz, Ocon, Albon, Lindblad and Piastri was the top 10.

Ferrari had called Hamilton to box and ditch the slicks, but he insisted on staying out, he had to gamble.

As Antonelli pulled away, Verstappen turned up the pressure on Russell, and took him down the inside through Turn 3.

Hadjar snatched fourth from Lawson into T15, the second Red Bull also on the charge.

Verstappen had quickly latched on to Antonelli, as Russell complained that the track was drying slowly.

A wide moment at T15 for Antonelli gave Verstappen a look down the start/finish straight, but that Mercedes was a stride ahead.

As Leclerc cut his way through the suffering soft guys, Norris was told that the slicks were starting to deliver.

Safety Car. Valtteri Bottas was in the gravel. Lap 10 and the inter runners were all in for dry tyres.

Norris also pitted to ditch his mediums for new hards. Leclerc was back in for shiny softs.

So, we had Antonelli and Russell on mediums. Verstappen and Hadjar on softs. Lawson on hards.

The race resumed heading on to Lap 13. Verstappen read Antonelli’s dropping of the hammer. The pair went side-by-side through Turns 1-3, as Verstappen took the lead. Russell also helped himself to second.

Lance Stroll and Aston Martin were enjoying some Hamilton and Norris racing action, as that duo steadily moved up the order.

Bortoleto needed a front wing change after contact with Sainz which also cost the Williams driver positions. Bortoleto clipped and sent Sainz spinning at T2. The stewards launched an investigation. 10-second time penalty.

Alex Albon had been noted for potential erratic driving heading into the pit lane. That would be investigated after the race.

Lap 18 and the battle out front had stabilised, as Antonelli delivered the pointed radio message that he had more pace.

Hamilton continued to reap the rewards of his strategy call, as he took Piastri into T4. Up to P8. Lindblad was soon picked off, Ocon and Lawson followed. P5 now for Hamilton.

Lap 21 and Antonelli took Russell down the inside of T4. If he truly had more pace, now was the time to use it, Verstappen over five seconds clear out front.

As Russell was informed of a rain cell which had appeared 10 kilometres away, Antonelli went wide at T15 and blurred the lines between following or not following the race director’s instructions by wiping out the bollard.

Verstappen’s lead grew to eight seconds.

Leclerc boxed on Lap 29 to ditch his softs for a newer set of the compound. All the while, Hamilton drove on with his original set. He was catching Hadjar.

Ocon took a slight detour on the grass as he slipped and slid his way to the pit lane.

Hadjar and Hamilton were in at the end of L32. Despite the slightly slower stop, Hadjar retained comfortable track position. Hadjar was on softs, Hamilton mediums.

Verstappen’s lead had now hit 10 seconds, as Russell pitted on L33. Mediums.

Verstappen and Antonelli were in the next lap. Used softs for both.

Hamilton was not happy with his tyres. Being told that he would go to the end on this set, would not have been music to his ears.

Hulkenberg was placed under a post-race investigation for an unsafe release.

Hamilton may not have liked the tyres, but his sensational recovery drive was continuing as he put Hadjar under attack. That Red Bull was rapid down the straights.

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso took Arvid Lindblad at Turn 2 with a switcheroo. The Aston Martin racer was up into the points.

Virtual Safety Car on Lap 43. Albon had parked his Williams on the grass with a suspected gearbox failure.

Verstappen took the ‘cheap’ pit stop for used softs. Antonelli became the new race leader. Hamilton also came in for new softs. Leclerc was in too.

Mercedes did opt to pit Antonelli and Russell the following lap. Red Bull pitted Hadjar. Softs all round.

With the recovery of Albon’s Williams proving a struggle, the full Safety Car was deployed.

That prompted McLaren to pit both Norris and Piastri. Racing Bulls boxed Lawson. Alonso came in for a new set of softs.

Leclerc jumped Piastri, up into sixth.

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There was even drama behind the Safety Car. Russell pulled over to retire down the pit straight with a suspected PU issue.

Norris was in the Turn 1 gravel as he took major evasive action to avoid the back of the sister McLaren. He escaped but was out of the top 10.

With that, Russell’s title hopes were all but done.

The Safety Car was in at the end of Lap 51/55.

Verstappen nailed his restart down the back straight. He led from Antonelli, Hadjar and Hamilton.

Alonso was trying to defend P8 in his Aston.

Up into the podium places went Hamilton at Turn 1, delighting the vocal home crowd. From strategy flop, to top three.

Leclerc came past the Red Bull into P4, at T1, on the next lap.

Verstappen was pulling clear out front. Norris was noted for potential erratic driving in that SC moment which saw him in the gravel.

Withstanding the plethora of curveballs, Verstappen saw the chequered flag to take his 72nd win, and the first of the Red Bull-Ford alliance.

Nine years later, Verstappen was still on top in Sepang.

Antonelli and Hamilton completed the podium.

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Full results – Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026 – F1 race results (Sepang)