The four-time World Champion survived a race that had just about everything thrown at it – torrential rain, a lengthy delay, changing tyre conditions, Safety Cars and late mechanical drama – to secure his first victory of the season and Red Bull’s first win of the campaign.

Verstappen started from pole, but his advantage disappeared almost immediately when Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell made brilliant starts to move ahead of the Red Bull.

The start of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Photo: F1

The Dutchman refused to panic, however. He regained his rhythm, worked his way past Russell and then picked his moment to get back ahead of Antonelli and reclaim the lead.

The race had already descended into uncertainty before the opening lap. Heavy rain forced officials to delay the start by more than 90 minutes, while the teams faced the unfamiliar challenge of racing the new-generation 2026 cars in wet conditions for the first time.

That made tyre strategy a huge factor, particularly when the track began drying and drivers had to decide when to make the switch from intermediates to slick tyres.

Lewis Hamilton. Photo: F1

Verstappen and Red Bull got those calls right. While several drivers struggled to find the sweet spot during the changing conditions, Verstappen remained measured and gradually opened a healthy gap at the front.

A late Safety Car bunched the field up again and ensured there would be no easy run to the chequered flag, but Verstappen kept his cool when it mattered most.

After 55 laps, he took the chequered flag just 2.307 seconds ahead of Antonelli. The result was another strong outing for Antonelli, who retained his grip on the championship lead, while Russell's promising race came to an abrupt end when a suspected power-unit problem forced him into retirement late on.

Lewis Hamilton produced one of the standout recoveries of the race for Ferrari. The seven-time World Champion paid the price for an early tyre gamble and dropped as low as 18th, but showed his experience and determination to charge back through the field and claim an impressive third place.

Charles Leclerc crossed the line fourth, followed by Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar in fifth. Oscar Piastri finished sixth, with Liam Lawson seventh and Fernando Alonso eighth.

For Verstappen, the victory was about more than simply adding another win to his remarkable record. It ended a wait dating back to the 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi and marked the 72nd Grand Prix victory of his career.

Max Verstappen. Photo: F1

More importantly, it offered Red Bull a much-needed reminder that the reigning champion remains a major force in the title fight despite a difficult opening to the season. There was also a touch of history to the occasion.

Sepang is a circuit where Verstappen has enjoyed success before, having won the Malaysian Grand Prix there in 2017. 

This week the drivers and teams head to the Marina Bay Street Circuit for the Singapore Grand Prix.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cvs