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Max Verstappen secured pole position for the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, marking his first pole of the season. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton qualified second, despite challenges with tyre degradation during practice sessions. Isack Hadjar, Verstappen’s teammate, was third but will start eighth due to a grid penalty. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed the top three starting positions. Verstappen highlighted his team's progress over several Grand Prix events leading up to this achievement.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-03,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix was held at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia this weekend, marking its return to the country after a nine-year absence. Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, secured pole position with a time of 1:35.130 seconds, his first of the season. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton qualified second, despite Mercedes having brought an upgrade package to Malaysia; George Russell started seventh, leaving team boss Toto Wolff puzzled by their performance.
The track at Sepang is described as resembling "sandpaper" due to its rough surface and high temperatures, causing significant tyre degradation. Red Bull introduced a major aerodynamic update following the Azerbaijan race, which proved effective on this demanding circuit. With Verstappen's teammate Isack Hadjar facing a five-place grid penalty, championship leader Kimi Antonelli is set to start third alongside Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, positioning him well for Sunday's race.
Verstappen's performance underscores his dominance and potential for another strong season, while Mercedes faces questions about their competitiveness after the upgrades failed to deliver expected results.
Written for “F1 In Malaysia” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has claimed his first pole position of the season at the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton joining him on the front row.
asserted
Hamilton → claim → row
Verstappen’s team mate Isack Hadjar was third fastest but will start eighth due to a grid penalty on Saturday, with championship leader Kimi Antonelli in third alongside Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
asserted
mate → start → Leclerc
Verstappen was the last driver to win a Grand Prix in Malaysia in 2017, in what was his second career victory, before the race was taken off the calendar after the government said it could not justify the costs.
Nine years and four championships later, the Dutchman showed he was still the man to beat in Sepang with a time of one minute and 35.130 seconds.
“It’s fantastic, we’ve been trying for many Grands Prix to get more, sometimes a bit closer to the others.
uncertain
we → win → others
But to finally get it from where we started the season, pretty incredible,” said Verstappen as he eyes his first win of the season.
asserted
he → get → season
Hamilton, who also has one victory in Sepang, struggled with tyre degradation in practice sessions but the veteran Briton snatched second from Hadjar in the dying stages of the final qualifying session.
asserted
Briton → have → session
“It’s so hot here, I keep saying it.
asserted
I → say → it
But that’s made it a massive challenge for the tyres, for the car, for the mechanics in the garage,” Hamilton said.
asserted
Hamilton → make → garage
“We made so many changes through all these practice sessions because the cars are sliding, these tyres are overheating.
asserted
tyres → make → sessions
It was really, really hard to find a good balance.
asserted
It → find → balance
We made one last change going into qualifying and I think we hit the sweet spot.”
asserted
we → make → spot
Hadjar had exceeded his seasonal allowance for engines, which resulted in a five-place grid penalty.
asserted
which → exceed → penalty
“It’s a bit unfortunate we take the penalty on a track that fast,” Hadjar said.
asserted
Hadjar → ’ → track
“But you know, from P8, I’m confident we can go through the field and come back for a good result.”
asserted
we → know → result
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