Max Verstappen won the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, ending his season-long drought and securing his first victory since last year's final race. George Russell’s Mercedes retired from the lead due to a suspected power unit issue, while Kimi Antonelli finished second, extending his championship lead over Russell to 84 points with seven races remaining. The race was initially delayed by rain and technical issues before Verstappen overtook both Antonelli and Russell following a safety car period.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Bahrain Grand Prix, originally scheduled for Saudi Arabia but relocated due to security concerns from the US–Israel war with Iran, was held at Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit in September 2026. Heavy rain caused a one-hour and thirty-three-minute delay before the race start, as multiple cars experienced software glitches that prevented them from operating properly on wet tracks. Drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen likened the situation to a "Lego race" due to the bizarre performance of their battery-powered vehicles in low-grip conditions. The FIA has promised a full investigation into these issues, which have marred the season's introduction of new engine specifications requiring a 50-50 split between combustion and battery power. Verstappen eventually won the chaotic event despite earlier software failures, while Lewis Hamilton made an impressive comeback from a low starting position to claim third place.
Written for “Bahrain GP Chaos In Malaysia” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 16 other(s) covering the same event.
In short:
Max Verstappen has secured his first win of the Formula 1 season, as Kimi Antonelli extended his drivers' championship advantage.
asserted
Antonelli → secure → advantage
Antonelli finished second, while teammate and title rival George Russell suffered a suspected power unit failure with five laps to go.
What's next?
asserted
What → finish → laps
Formula 1 heads to Singapore for the next race of the season on Sunday, October 11.
asserted
Formula → head → Sunday
Max Verstappen's long wait for another Formula 1 race win is finally over, and the drivers' championship race might be over, too.
Verstappen took his first victory of an often-frustrating year for the four-time champion at Formula 1's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Sunday.
uncertain
Verstappen → take → Sunday
A retirement for George Russell handed a huge title boost to Kimi Antonelli.
asserted
retirement → hand → Antonelli
Verstappen was leading from Antonelli and Russell behind the safety car with five laps to go when Russell suddenly pulled over in his Mercedes.
asserted
Russell → lead → Mercedes
Antonelli further stretched his lead over teammate Russell from 66 points to 84, with seven races remaining on the schedule, including those in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
asserted
Antonelli → stretch → Qatar
Mercedes told Antonelli over the radio it appeared Russell had suffered a power unit problem.
asserted
Russell → tell → problem
Antonelli finished second and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton passed Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar for third.
asserted
Hamilton → finish → third
Four-time champion Verstappen had not won since the final race of last season, but upgrades to his Red Bull car made him competitive again in Malaysia this week.
asserted
him → win → Malaysia
"Good job guys, wow," he told the team over the radio, thanking them for a "fantastic weekend".
asserted
he → tell → weekend
Delays for rain and software issues
The first wet-weather race for F1 in 2026 started more than 90 minutes later than planned.
asserted
race → start → 2026
The start was first delayed 40 minutes for heavy rain, then suspended again when cars had apparent software problems on the formation lap.
asserted
cars → delay → lap
When it finally did get underway, Verstappen was slow off the line and lost places to Antonelli and Russell.
asserted
Verstappen → get → Antonelli
He chased down Russell and then got past Antonelli in a side-by-side fight after a safety-car restart.
asserted
He → chase → restart
After Verstappen took the win, he had another small delay before hearing his anthem.
asserted
he → take → anthem
Crowd chants filled an awkward silence as Verstappen waited on the top step of the podium before the Dutch anthem finally began.
asserted
anthem → fill → podium
The race was relocated because of the Iran war, becoming F1's first event at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia since 2017.
asserted
race → relocate → 2017
Ferrari recovers from early blunders
Hamilton's third place capped a remarkable recovery for the seven-time champion and ends a run of five races without a podium finish for the Italian team.
asserted
place → recover → team
It seemed almost impossible early in the race as Hamilton, and his teammate Charles Leclerc, were near the back of the pack.
asserted
Hamilton → seem → pack
Ferrari had gambled on sending them to the start on dry-weather tyres as the track began to dry after rain, causing Hamilton to drop from second to near the back.
asserted
Hamilton → gamble → back
Leclerc also overtook Hadjar late on to follow Hamilton into fourth place, as Hadjar ended up fifth.
asserted
Hadjar → overtake → place
Oscar Piastri was sixth for McLaren after a punchy late battle with Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls, who was seventh after racing near the front at the start.
asserted
who → race → start
Fernando Alonso was eighth in Aston Martin's best result of the season, Lando Norris ninth after going off-track and losing places, with Lawson's teammate Arvid Lindblad 10th.
asserted
teammate → go → places
The Aporia
