Sports · NEWS EXPLAINER
Verstappen wins Bahrain GP in Malaysia; Antonelli leads by 84 points
Verstappen took his first win of 2026 at Sepang, while Antonelli’s second place and Russell’s late retirement widened the Mercedes title-race gap.
Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Sunday, October 4, giving him and Red Bull their first victory of 2026. Kimi Antonelli finished second at Sepang and expanded his Formula 1 championship lead over George Russell to 84 points after his teammate retired late. Lewis Hamilton completed the podium for Ferrari.
The podium and the points swing
The published race classification puts Verstappen ahead after 55 laps, with Antonelli 2.307 seconds behind and Hamilton 4.919 seconds adrift. Charles Leclerc finished fourth and Isack Hadjar fifth. F1 still labels that classification provisional, so the positions, gaps and points reported here reflect the official table available when this report was prepared.
Antonelli’s second place was worth 18 points, while Russell scored none. That takes the Mercedes teammates’ gap from 66 points before Sepang to 84 afterward. Russell had been running third before his car stopped late in the race; Reuters reported a suspected power-unit problem. His retirement made the championship consequence larger than the fight for the win alone.
Why the start took so long
Heavy rain disrupted the scheduled start before the cars’ initial attempt to get going ran into further trouble. The FIA described an initial 40-minute weather delay and a further 53-minute delay after several cars failed to respond properly to throttle inputs during the start procedure. The field returned to the pit lane before another attempt.
Verstappen said teams used the pause to update their software, according to the Associated Press. That explanation concerns the interrupted start; it does not establish a confirmed cause for Russell’s later retirement. By the time racing began, the track was drying, leaving teams to choose between intermediate tyres for damp conditions and slicks suited to a drier surface.
The tyre choice that shaped the result
Verstappen and the two Mercedes drivers began on intermediates, which worked better in the early conditions. Although Antonelli and Russell passed the polesitter at the start, Verstappen fought back. Bottas’s spin then brought out a Safety Car, giving the intermediate runners an opportunity to change to slicks as the circuit dried. Verstappen took the lead after the restart.
Hamilton experienced the other side of the tyre gamble. His early slick-tyre choice dropped him to 18th, but he stayed with it and recovered as conditions improved. In the closing laps, he passed Hadjar to reach third; Leclerc also moved ahead of the Red Bull to secure fourth. Their recovery turned a difficult Ferrari opening into two strong finishes.
A Red Bull breakthrough before Singapore
A late Safety Car compressed the field again, requiring Verstappen to protect his advantage at the restart. He did so to deliver the first Grand Prix victory for Red Bull Ford Powertrains, as the FIA noted. The result gives the team a concrete breakthrough this season, while Antonelli leaves with a larger cushion over his closest championship rival.
The next race weekend is Singapore on October 9–11, with seven rounds remaining in the season. For readers checking calendars or replays, Sunday’s official event name is the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and its venue is Sepang International Circuit. Those details distinguish this result from the upcoming Marina Bay race; local broadcaster listings determine viewing times.
