Max Verstappen Takes Pole Position for Bahrain GP in Malaysia
- Max Verstappen claimed his first pole position of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Saturday, setting a time of 1m 35.130s...
- Verstappen's pole-winning performance broke a streak of Mercedes-powered poles this season, as Mercedes, McLaren, and Alpine cars had topped every previous qualifying session.
- Red Bull's Isack Hadjar finished third fastest in qualifying, just 0.428 seconds behind Verstappen, but he will receive a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his season's engine allocation.
Max Verstappen claimed his first pole position of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Saturday, setting a time of 1m 35.130s at the Sepang International Circuit. The Red Bull driver opened up an advantage of 0.298 seconds over Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton to lead the timesheets after setting the pace through Q1 and Q2.
Verstappen Tops Sepang Qualifying Ahead of Hamilton
Verstappen’s pole-winning performance broke a streak of Mercedes-powered poles this season, as Mercedes, McLaren, and Alpine cars had topped every previous qualifying session. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton secured second place on the front row after making a late improvement in Q3. Hamilton struggled with tyre degradation during practice in the hot conditions before the team made a final setup change.
Grid Penalties Alter Starting Order for Hadjar and Antonelli
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar finished third fastest in qualifying, just 0.428 seconds behind Verstappen, but he will receive a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his season’s engine allocation. This penalty moves championship leader Kimi Antonelli up to third on the starting grid, while Hadjar will start from eighth place. Antonelli settled for fourth in qualifying ahead of Charles Leclerc. Lando Norris led Oscar Piastri for McLaren in sixth and seventh, while George Russell managed eighth for Mercedes. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top ten.
Midfield Struggles and Elimination in Q2 and Q1
Racing Bulls missed out on Q3 after Arvid Lindblad attempted to give Liam Lawson a tow, leaving Lawson in 11th place ahead of Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, and Lance Stroll. Franco Colapinto and Lindblad chose not to set times in Q2 due to their own grid penalties, with Lindblad carrying a five-place drop for a collision in Baku and a 10-place penalty for a new engine. Nico Hulkenberg missed out on a Q2 spot by 0.087 seconds to finish 17th, ahead of Haas drivers Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon. Alex Albon took 20th for Williams, while Cadillac closed out the order with Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
Sunday Race Prospects at Sepang
Verstappen heads into Sunday’s race aiming for his first victory of the 2026 season to avoid his first winless year since his 2015 rookie campaign. Track conditions at Sepang remain challenging due to the rough surface and high temperatures putting heavy pressure on tyres. The last driver to win an F1 race at Sepang was Verstappen himself in 2017.