Verstappen dominates rain-hit Sepang for Red Bull's first win of 2026
Max Verstappen stormed to pole and victory at Sepang to give Red Bull its first win of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The four-time world champion drove the Red Bull RB22 to a dominant success at the Sepang International Circuit on 4 October, finishing clear of Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli in a rain-hit race officially billed as the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia Formula 1. It was emphatic. It was long overdue.
Verstappen had started from pole position — first place on the grid earned by the fastest lap in qualifying — with a time of 1 minute 35.130 seconds Reuters. Lewis Hamilton qualified second for Ferrari. It was Verstappen and Red Bull's first pole of the year.
The race was twice-delayed by rain and run in difficult, changing conditions Sky Sports. Verstappen took the lead after an early safety car, the pace car that bunches the field while a hazard is cleared, and controlled the race from there Al Jazeera.
His RB22 had the tools for Sepang. The car was quicker in a straight line than the Mercedes and strong through the medium and high-speed corners that define the Malaysian track The Guardian.
The win carried extra weight for the team. It was the first victory for Red Bull Ford Powertrains, the team's new engine partnership Red Bull Racing. Red Bull is led by Laurent Mekies, with Isack Hadjar as Verstappen's teammate. Hadjar had missed the previous three races with a wrist injury before returning at Sepang.
Antonelli held on for second despite the chaos. He had arrived in Kuala Lumpur as the championship leader. George Russell retired late in the other Mercedes, which helped settle the order behind Verstappen.
Fans voted Verstappen Driver of the Day for his drive in Malaysia Formula 1. What makes this stand out is history. Verstappen also won Formula 1's previous race at Sepang almost a decade before 2026, making this a bookend win on his return.
