Max Verstappen Claims First Win Of 2026 At Chaotic Bahrain Grand Prix
Max Verstappen claimed his first victory of 2026. The Dutchman took victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix, held at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. It was also an important success for his team, marking Red Bull’s first win with an engine entirely designed and built in-house. Verstappen had to fight until the closing laps to secure the victory after a Safety Car bunched up the field in the final stages of the race.
The Bahrain Grand Prix was full of incidents, starting with a delayed start. Race Control postponed the start due to standing water in several corners of the circuit. When the race finally got under way, still in difficult conditions, there was significant variation in tyre choices: nine drivers opted for Intermediates, while the remainder of the field selected either Softs or Mediums.
From the opening laps it was clear that the track was still too wet for slick tyres. A further six drivers therefore quickly pitted to switch to Intermediates. After nine laps, the Safety Car was deployed following Valtteri Bottas’ off-track excursion. At the restart, with the asphalt almost dry, all drivers returned to action on slick tyres. Over the course of the race, every compound in the range was used except the Full Wet.
Verstappen quickly built a margin over the two Mercedes drivers but saw his advantage wiped out by a Virtual Safety Car that was later upgraded to a full Safety Car. The Red Bull driver had in fact stopped ten laps before the neutralisation to fit a set of Softs. Both he and Kimi Antonelli, who eventually finished second, took advantage of the VSC to make an additional stop and fit another set of used Softs.
In the closing laps, Verstappen managed to hold off Antonelli and secure the victory. Lewis Hamilton finished third for Ferrari. The Ferrari driver was one of the few not to use Intermediates, choosing instead to start directly on Softs, on which he completed 31 laps. He then switched to a used set of Mediums before making a final stop during the Virtual Safety Car period for a set of used Softs, which he ran to the chequered flag.
Max Verstappen – P1
“What an incredible result! The race was not made easy for us with all the decisions we had to make and then the Safety Car at the end on top of everything. But we made all the right calls with the tyres, kept our cool, and it all paid off. Of course, to win a race in the first year of being a new power unit manufacturer is honestly just incredible and something everyone should be really proud of. We knew from the start that Red Bull Ford Powertrains built a strong engine and also knew the limitations too. Although it was hard at times, and we sometimes didn’t believe we could get this win, we kept pushing. The Team has also been working hard to understand our issues and brought performance upgrades to the car. Step by step, we have been getting closer and today we did it, which is really special and an emotional moment. It is an incredible project and winning in our first season together is a fantastic feeling.”
Kimi Antonelli – P2
“Overall, given our struggles this weekend, I think P2 was the maximum we could have achieved today. The conditions were really challenging, both with the difficult call on which tyre to start on, when to stop to take the slicks, and then when to stop and what compound to take to ensure we held on to second. The team did a good job with those calls, and I am pleased we were able to score solid points.
“Despite that, we leave Malaysia frustrated. Our pace hasn’t been where we wanted it to be and we weren’t able to fight for victory. It was also extremely disappointing to see George retire when we were so close to such a good result for the team, and a double podium at what is one of the most significant races in our season. We will work hard ahead of Singapore to understand how we can improve and make sure we perform more strongly next weekend.”
Lewis Hamilton – P3
“Sepang is always a great track to race on, but today is definitely one of the most memorable. It was a really demanding race and not an easy one to manage from the start, but the team did a fantastic job staying calm and executing well after a difficult opening phase.
“We found ourselves on the back foot very early on with the tyre choice, yet everyone stayed focused and kept pushing. We didn’t give up despite a big gap building straight away, and step by step we managed to fight our way back into contention and keep the pressure on until the flag.
“To finish on the podium after the way the race began feels really satisfying and is a great reward for the hard work, determination and resilience everyone showed today. A big thank you as well to the fans, who were incredible all weekend.”
Dario Marrafuschi – Pirelli Motorsport Director
“Sepang provided the first real opportunity this season to see significant use of the Intermediate tyre. In the conditions encountered today, its performance was positive, delivering a high level of grip and consistent performance throughout its stint length. In the closing laps, as the track continued to dry, a slight amount of graining appeared on the wet-weather tyres, although there were no particular wear concerns despite the highly abrasive surface.
The environmental conditions played a decisive role in the Malaysian Grand Prix. Temperatures were noticeably lower than those recorded in previous days and, following the downpour before the start, the track remained damp for much of the race. This helped keep tyre temperatures under control and reduced thermal degradation.
In this scenario, the Soft proved particularly competitive, enabling very long stints and delivering consistent performance, helped by teams gradually bringing it into the operating window tested on Friday. Some drivers managed to cover almost half the race on the softest compound, while the neutralisations prompted many teams to opt for the C4 in the closing stages. Both the Hard and Medium also displayed consistent and predictable behaviour, albeit with lower grip levels than the Soft, confirming themselves as viable options for both the front-running teams and those in the midfield.”
Want more F1Chronicle.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for the best F1 news and analysis on the internet.
For more F1 news and videos, follow us on Microsoft Start.
New to Formula 1? Check out our Glossary of F1 Terms, and our Beginners Guide to Formula 1 to fast-track your F1 knowledge.
More F1 Reading
- Max Verstappen Storms To First Pole Of 2026
- James Vowles Says F1’s Cost Cap Has Built a ‘Two-Tier Championship’ That Is Punishing Williams
- Max Verstappen Says George Russell Needs a ‘Big Turnaround’ to Catch Kimi Antonelli in the Title Fight
- Toto Wolff Admits George Russell Struggled to Accept Kimi Antonelli’s Blistering Start to 2026
Comments
More in News
Max Verstappen Storms To First Pole Of 2026
James Vowles Says F1’s Cost Cap Has Built a ‘Two-Tier Championship’ That Is Punishing Williams
Max Verstappen Says George Russell Needs a ‘Big Turnaround’ to Catch Kimi Antonelli in the Title Fight
Toto Wolff Admits George Russell Struggled to Accept Kimi Antonelli’s Blistering Start to 2026
