Max Verstappen secured pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia today, marking his first pole of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The Red Bull driver delivered a dominant performance at the Sepang International Circuit, topping all three segments of qualifying.
Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, will start alongside Verstappen on the front row after qualifying second. Hamilton’s final lap in Q3 was strong, placing him 0.298 seconds behind Verstappen.
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar initially qualified third but will start eighth due to a five-place grid penalty. This penalty was incurred for exceeding his allocation of internal combustion engine components for the season.
The grid penalty for Hadjar promotes Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli to third on the starting grid. Charles Leclerc moves up to fourth, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completing the third row for McLaren.
Mercedes introduced a significant upgrade package for their W17 car at Sepang, their first major update since the Canadian Grand Prix in May. Team Principal Toto Wolff confirmed the updates, aiming to improve performance on conventional circuits.
Despite the upgrades, Mercedes experienced a challenging qualifying session. Antonelli qualified fourth, while his teammate George Russell could only manage eighth, later promoted to seventh on the grid.
Red Bull Technical Director Pierre Waché noted a positive start to the weekend, indicating that the update package brought to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was performing effectively at Sepang. However, Verstappen reported brake oscillation issues during Friday practice.
The Bahrain Grand Prix is being held at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia from October 2-4, 2026. This relocation occurred after the originally scheduled Bahrain event was cancelled due to conflict in the Middle East.
This event marks Formula 1’s return to Sepang for the first time in nine years, with the circuit last hosting a Grand Prix in 2017. The track is known for its demanding conditions, including high heat and humidity.
Luke Crane, a close associate of Max Verstappen and a member of the Verstappen Racing Sim-team, made a social media post following the pole position. Crane serves as a stream host and producer for Verstappen Racing.
In the Drivers’ Championship standings, Kimi Antonelli currently leads with 302 points. George Russell is second with 236 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton in third with 199 points.
The provisional starting grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia is as follows: 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing), 2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 5. Lando Norris (McLaren), 6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 7. George Russell (Mercedes), 8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull Racing), 9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine), 10. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi).
