10:06
Lewis Hamilton is now in the top ten as the British driver has moved into ninth place
Start of the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia
F1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia as it happened
Follow all the action from the 2026 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia
KEY MOMENTS
- Max Verstappen takes victory in a chaotic Bahrain GP in Malaysia
- George Russell is out after a technical issue on lap 50
- Heavily-delayed Bahrain GP contested over 55 laps
The 2026 Formula 1 season continues with the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, which marks the 16th round of the campaign.
This weekend marks F1's first visit to the Sepang International Circuit since the last Malaysian Grand Prix in 2017.
However, this will not be officially counted as a Malaysian Grand Prix, as the event is being run and paid for by the Bahrain Grand Prix. As such, the event is being called the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Despite the tropical setting, the Bahrain organisers have flown in around 500 marshals from the country, while much of the branding around the circuit reflects that of the Sakhir track.
The event has been moved to Malaysia this year due to the ongoing war in Iran. The Bahrain Grand Prix had originally been due to run in April back-to-back with Saudi Arabia.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli comes into the Bahrain Grand Prix leading the championship still, though a fifth-place finish after a crash in qualifying last time out at Baku has seen his advantage reduced to 66 points by Mercedes team-mate George Russell.
But Mercedes has endured a tricky weekend so far in Malaysia, despite bringing its long-awaited upgrade package.
The Malaysian Grand Prix has been declared a heat hazard, while there is a risk of thundery showers hitting the Sepang track for today's 56-lap race.
Max Verstappen claimed his and Red Bull's first pole position of the season, which he is looking to convert into his first victory since last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The four-time world champion has his great F1 title rival Lewis Hamilton alongside him on the front row for Ferrari.
2026 Bahrain Grand Prix schedule
Race start - 8am UK time
10:06
After 15 laps, here are the top 10:
- Max Verstappen
- George Russell
- Kimi Antonelli
- Isack Hadjar
- Liam Lawson
- Esteban Ocon
- Arvid Lindblad
- Oscar Piastri
- Gabriel Bortoleto
- Nico Hulkenberg
10:01
A change at the front
Max Verstappen has taken the lead from Antonelli, and Russell has now moved into second, relegating his teammate back to third!
10:00
Safety Car Ending
The Safety Car will be in at the end of this lap, and we will be back underway in green flag conditions
09:58
We now have a mixture of soft, medium, and hard tyres throughout the field
09:58
Bearman has now pitted, but Hamilton stayed out on his soft tyres!
09:56
The majority of the slick tyre-running cars have pitted, other than Lewis Hamilton and Oliver Bearman...
09:54
All of the drivers running on intermediates have pitted to switch to slick tyres, which is the worst case scenario for the drivers who risked it and stayed out on slicks
09:53
Safety Car
The Safety Car is out, and the leaders have all dived into the pits, and Antonelli gets back out in the lead, ahead of Verstappen and Russell
09:53
The Cadillac of Valtteri Bottas is off the track and appears to be beached in the gravel
09:51
After a mistake from Antonelli at the final corner, Verstappen is all over the back of the Italian!
09:48
Lewis Hamilton, who stayed out on slicks, has now been passed by Charles Leclerc, who pitted for intermediates in the early stages of the race!
09:47
Isack Hadjar has made his way past Liam Lawson and is now in fourth place
09:46
Verstappen moves into second place after making his way past Russell! Can the Dutch driver now chase down Antonelli?
09:45
Lewis Hamilton has decided to gamble and will stay out on slick tyres!
09:44
The big movers in the opening laps have been Ocon, Albon, and Lindblad, who are all inside the top ten!
09:43
It is safe to say that intermediates were the correct tyres, as there are no cars with slick tyres inside the top 14
09:42
After the chaos that was the start, Antonelli leads from Russell, with Verstappen, Lawson and Hadjar making up the top five
09:41
Hamilton plummeted down the order on the opening lap from second on the grid down to 15th!
09:40
Lights Out!
The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia is underway, and it is Antonelli who leads Russell into Turn One!
09:39
Piastri, Bortoleto, Stroll, Hulkenberg, and Perez have all come into the pits!
09:38
We will have a standing start for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia!
09:37
- Verstappen - Intermediates
- Hamilton - Softs
- Antonelli - Intermediates
- Leclerc - Softs
- Norris - Mediums
- Piastri - Mediums
- Russell - Intermediates
- Hadjar - Intermediates
- Bortoleto - Softs
- Lawson - Intermediates
- Alonso - Mediums
- Sainz - Intermediates
- Gasly - Softs
- Stroll - Mediums
- Hulkenburg - Softs
- Bearman - Softs
- Ocon - Intermediates
- Albon - Intermediates
- Bottas - Softs
- Colapinto - Softs
- Lindblad - Intermediates
- Perez - Intermediates
09:34
Cars are on track!
Cars are leaving the pits! With a mixture of intermediates and slick tyres!
09:23
Race Start Update
The race will start at 16:33 Local Time (9:33am UK Time)