Red Bull's Max Verstappen secured his first victory of the season on Sunday after winning a chaotic, rain-hit Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
The race start was delayed by more than 90 minutes due to treacherous conditions at the Sepang International Circuit.
Verstappen, who started from pole after winning the qualifying round on Saturday at the Bahrain Grand Prix, finishing 0.298 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.
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He was the last driver to win at Sepang in 2017 before the circuit was removed from the Formula 1 calendar.
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX IN MALAYSIA ???????????? #F1 #BahrainGP https://t.co/4rHxCQBl4i
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 4, 2026
The Dutchman gave Red Bull a major boost despite losing the lead before Turn 1.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished second for Mercedes, while Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton took third after a dramatic recovery from 18th at the start of the race following a tyre gamble.
OUR TOP 10 IN SEPANG ???? #F1 #BahrainGP https://t.co/DlVhWT8Pl6
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 4, 2026
Antonelli's Mercedes teammate and closest rival, George Russell, was running third before retiring with five laps remaining due to a suspected power unit issue.
Absolute agony for George ???? #F1 #BahrainGP https://t.co/BEKWo1nYgN
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 4, 2026
The final four laps turned into a straight shootout for the podium places after a lengthy safety car period. Hamilton, who had been chasing Red Bull's Isack Hadjar for several laps, eventually made his move to secure third place.
Charles Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari after overtaking Hadjar with two laps remaining. Leclerc had also started closer to the back of the grid amid the chaos caused by the wet track.
The result handed Verstappen his first win of the season, while Antonelli extended his advantage at the top of the championship standings.
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