Max Verstappen Ends the Drought: Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia Recap
Welcome to the Happy Hour Racing Formula 1 Race Recap, where we break down Sunday's Grand Prix in plain English. No engineering degree required.
The Short Version
Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at the Sepang International Circuit, beating Kimi Antonelli by 2.307 seconds over 55 laps. It is his first win of 2026. It is also his first pole of 2026. He had not won a Grand Prix since Abu Dhabi on December 7, 2025, a run of 15 races and almost ten months. He took pole, the win and the fastest lap in the same weekend, and he set that fastest lap on the very last lap of the race.
A Strange Start, Then a Normal Race
The opening two laps were not racing. Every car on the circuit logged a lap somewhere between two and a half and four minutes, against an eventual dry pace in the 1:38s. Five cars came down the pit lane before lap 3 and some of those stops ran over a minute. Valtteri Bottas was out by lap 7.
By lap 3 the race looked like a race again, and the grid had been turned inside out. Lewis Hamilton had gone from second on the grid to 16th. Charles Leclerc had gone from fourth to 22nd and last. Lando Norris was 15th. Antonelli led, Verstappen was third and climbing, and Arvid Lindblad had found his way from 22nd on the grid to ninth.
Lap 13 Was the Whole Race
Antonelli led laps 3 through 12. He was quick, he was clean, and he had the fastest lap of the race at that point. Then Verstappen got by on lap 13 and that was the end of the story. He led every lap from there to the flag with one exception, lap 44, and that was only because he had already pitted and Antonelli had not.
Forty-three of the 55 laps went to Verstappen. There were five lead changes all day, and four of them belonged to the opening scramble or the pit cycle. Only one was a real pass for the lead, and Verstappen made it.
Strategy: Three Stops, and One Lap Decided It
This was a three-stop race for everyone at the front. The field made 73 pit stops between 22 cars. Verstappen stopped on laps 9, 33 and 43. Antonelli stopped on laps 9, 33 and 44. That one lap of difference at the end is the only gap you need to look at.
Verstappen's crew were machines. His three stops came in at 27.641, 27.834 and 27.642 seconds. Three stops, a spread of two tenths. Antonelli's crew actually beat them on the last one at 27.295, but a faster stop a lap later still comes out behind. Red Bull covered the undercut by not giving Mercedes the chance to try it.
Hamilton went the other way and ran a two-stopper, pitting only on laps 31 and 43. From 16th on lap 3 that is the only call that gets him on the podium, and it worked.
Stats and Fun Facts
Here is the race in numbers.
Who Is Hot and Who Is Not
Hot: Max Verstappen. Pole, win, fastest lap, 43 laps led. He had finished second in each of the previous two races and third in the one before that. The speed had been there for a month. Sunday he finally had the track position to use it.
Hot: Lewis Hamilton. Second on the grid, 16th on lap 3, third at the flag. He climbed 13 places from where lap 3 left him and made a two-stop strategy work on a day when nobody else at the front tried it. He also pulls further clear of Leclerc and Norris in third.
Hot: Arvid Lindblad. Started 22nd and last. Finished 10th. Twelve positions gained is the biggest move of the day by a mile, and it is a championship point for a rookie who has now scored in seven of the last eight races.
Not: George Russell. He ran third from lap 13 to lap 49 and then stopped with six laps to go. A guaranteed podium turned into zero points, and his teammate gained 18 on him in a single afternoon.
Not: McLaren. Norris qualified sixth and finished ninth for two points. Piastri qualified seventh and finished sixth. Ten points between them on a day when Ferrari took 27 and Red Bull took 35. Norris is now tied on points with Verstappen and stays ahead of him only on wins.
What It Means for the Championship
Antonelli leads with 320 points. Russell is second on 236, which is 84 back after losing a podium he had in hand. Hamilton is third on 214, Leclerc fourth on 191, and Norris and Verstappen are tied on 188 with Norris ahead on wins.
Seven races are left and 175 points are still on the table, so Antonelli has not clinched anything. He also does not need to do much. His nearest rival is his own teammate, and that teammate just scored nothing.
In the constructors' championship Mercedes sits on 556 to Ferrari's 405, a lead of 151. McLaren is third on 316 and Red Bull is fourth on 298, now only 18 behind. You can see every remaining round and the updated table on the Formula 1 schedule and standings page.
Next up is Round 17, the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on Sunday, October 11. Lights out is 8:00 AM ET.
The Bottom Line
Fifteen races is a long time for Max Verstappen to go without winning anything. He got the first pole of his season and turned it into the first win of his season on the same day, and he did it by being faster than the championship leader in a straight fight on lap 13. The title is still Antonelli's to lose. The rest of the season just got more interesting anyway.
Your turn. Red Bull is 18 points off McLaren for third in the constructors' championship with seven races left. Is Sunday the start of a real Red Bull run, or was Sepang just one good weekend in a bad year? Tell us what you think in the comments.
Shop F1 Gear at Happy Hour Racing
Sepang belonged to Red Bull. Here is what is in stock right now:
- Red Bull Racing F1 Max Verstappen RB16B 1:18 Model Car - the winner's car in miniature, and there is one left.
- F1 Red Bull Racing Special Edition Austin GP Bucket Hat - Verstappen and Hadjar both in the top five.
- Red Bull Racing F1 Special Edition USA GP T-Shirt - the cheapest way into Red Bull colors, plenty of sizes.
- Red Bull Racing F1 Spielberg Austrian GP Hoodie - for the fans who have been waiting all year for this.
- Scuderia Ferrari Garage Crew T-Shirt - Hamilton third, Leclerc fourth, and 12 sizes in stock.
- Mercedes AMG Petronas Team Polo - for the side of the garage that still leads the championship.
- Formula 1 Tech Limited Edition Belgian GP Hat - neutral colors for the fans who just love the sport.
More lids in the F1 hats collection, and new arrivals land every week.
