Max Verstappen wins bonkers Bahrain GP in Malaysia, George Russell’s F1 title hopes up in smoke

Max Verstappen scored his and Red Bull’s first victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season in a chaotic and heavily delayed Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. 

Four-time world champion Verstappen passed points leader Antonelli on lap 13 and went on to end his F1 victory streak that stretched back to last year’s season finale in Abu Dhabi in a dramatic wet-dry race in the first grand prix to be held at Sepang in nine years. 

Antonelli came home second to further extend his championship lead over Mercedes team-mate George Russell, whose fading title hopes suffered a potentially fatal blow after his W17 stopped late on with engine trouble.

Russell’s failure promoted Lewis Hamilton into third place as the seven-time world champion fought his way through from towards the back of the grid after a disastrous start, with Ferrari’s gamble to start on slicks on a wet track majorly backfiring. 

F1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia: Full race results

Hamilton had been over a minute adrift early in the race but battled back through the order with an impressive recovery drive. 

Charles Leclerc took fourth in the other Ferrari, ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who was sixth. 

Liam Lawson took seventh for Racing Bulls, while Fernando Alonso finished eighth to secure Aston Martin’s best result of the season so far. 

Lando Norris dropped down the order after taking a trip through the gravel during a late safety car, before the reigning world champion fought back to salvage P9, ahead of Arvid Lindblad who recovered from the back of the grid to score the final point on offer in 10th. 

A chaotic race after start mayhem 

A heavy tropical thunderstorm shortly before the race delayed the start, which was further suspended after several drivers hit trouble with their cars during a farcical formation lap. 

One hour and 40 minutes after the race was originally due to begin, it finally got underway with a mix of tyre strategies adding further jeopardy into the mix. Those who started on slicks, including both Ferraris, struggled in the damp conditions and dropped down the order. 

The race featured two safety cars and a virtual safety car, with Alex Albon's late stoppage setting up a grandstand sprint to the finish with four racing laps left to complete. 

Russell's Mercedes ground to a halt just before the restart in scenes that mirrored Hamilton's own engine failure at the same corner 10 years ago that effectively ruined his own championship request at the time. 

Verstappen expertly managed the restart and converted his first pole of the year into a mighty victory.

Second place for Antonelli sees him further extend his championship lead to 84 points over Russell with seven scheduled races remaining.