Verstappen Takes First Win at Sepang

Max Verstappen won the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026 on Sunday, 4 October, at the Sepang International Circuit near Kuala Lumpur. It was his first victory of the 2026 season, and Red Bull’s first (formula1.com). He started from pole, the first grid spot, and finished 55 laps in 1:47:14.808. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes was second, 2.307 seconds behind. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was third, 4.919 seconds back, after gambling on dry-weather tyres and having to climb back through the field (formula1.com; Autosport).

Formula 1 is a championship of timed races for open-wheel cars. This round still has Bahrain in the title even though the circuit is in Malaysia. The April race in Bahrain was cancelled because of hostilities in the Middle East, so Malaysia staged a one-off weekend, Round 16 of 23, on 2⁠–⁠4 October. Formula 1 had not raced at Sepang since 2017 (formula1.com; RacingNews365).

The start moved back from the scheduled 15:00 local time, 3:00 a.m. ET. Rain delayed the cars about 40 minutes. On the formation lap, the slow lap that lines the field up, several cars lost throttle response to a software fault, including Verstappen and Hamilton on the front row. Officials stopped the start and brought everyone in. That second wait was about 53 minutes. Together the delay was about an hour and a half (Autosport; RaceFans).

An intermediate tyre is grooved, for a damp track. A slick is smooth, for a dry one. Only nine cars started on intermediates, among them Verstappen, Antonelli, George Russell and Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar. Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri started on slicks. The track was still too wet. Hamilton, from the front row, was soon outside the top 10 (Autosport; RaceFans).

Antonelli had started third and Russell seventh. Both Mercedes drivers jumped ahead of Verstappen at the lights. Verstappen passed Russell for second at Turn 4 on lap six and closed on Antonelli (Autosport). Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas then spun off, and the safety car came out. A safety car slows the field and packs it up so a stopped car can be cleared. The leaders used the pause to switch to dry-weather slicks. Drivers who had started on slicks used the same window to cut their losses (formula1.com; Autosport).

At the restart Verstappen went around Antonelli at the first corner and led. Russell also passed his teammate. Antonelli told the team he had more pace and repassed Russell at Turn 4 on lap 21, but he could not catch Verstappen. He ran wide at the last corner, hit the bollard at the pit entrance and lost time, without a penalty (Autosport; RaceFans).

Hamilton’s recovery supplied the other result. After that first safety car he and Leclerc were back around 15th to 17th. Hamilton passed car after car and was fifth by lap 22. On lap 53 he went by Hadjar at Turn 1 for his first podium, a top-three finish, since the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Leclerc followed Hadjar through and finished fourth, 7.258 seconds behind Verstappen. Hadjar was fifth, 8.571 back (Autosport; formula1.com).

Alexander Albon of Williams later stopped and did not finish, after 41 laps. Under the safety car that followed, Russell was third in the queue and his car stopped on the start-finish straight with a technical problem. He was classified after 49 laps and scored nothing. Norris ran through the gravel as the cars ahead slowed and finished ninth (formula1.com; Autosport; RaceFans).

Oscar Piastri was sixth, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson seventh, and Fernando Alonso eighth — four points, and Aston Martin’s best result of the year. Arvid Lindblad took the last point in 10th. Bottas was the other retirement (formula1.com; RacingNews365).

A win is worth 25 points, second 18, third 15. If Russell had stayed third, Antonelli’s lead over him would have grown by only three points, to 69. The retirement made the gap 84. Antonelli leads on 320, Russell is second on 236, Hamilton third on 214, and Leclerc fourth on 191. Norris and Verstappen are level on 188, fifth and sixth in that order. Mercedes leads the teams on 556 points, with Ferrari on 405 (RaceFans; RacingNews365).

RacingNews365 counted Sunday as Verstappen’s 72nd Grand Prix win, and his second at Sepang after 2017. The race is over. The leader’s margin grew because the man second in the standings did not finish.