The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia finally got under way after a lengthy delay, and when the chaos subsided, Max Verstappen emerged with his first victory of the season.
The Red Bull driver survived a rain-interrupted start, a software glitch, changing tyre conditions and two safety-car periods to beat Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, while Lewis Hamilton completed the podium.
For George Russell, however, the race delivered another damaging blow to his championship hopes after a late technical failure forced him into retirement.
2026 Bahrain Grand Prix - Race results
A bizarre start to proceedings
The race was initially delayed by 40 minutes after a downpour left the circuit soaked. Then, during the formation lap, several cars suffered software problems that left throttle inputs ineffective. Isack Hadjar even took a trip through the gravel before the red flags came out.
A further 53-minute delay followed before the race could finally begin, with only nine drivers choosing intermediates. Verstappen, Antonelli and both Mercedes cars were among those taking the gamble, while Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri opted for slicks.
The strategy split quickly became a mess.
Pierre Gasly spun behind the Safety Car on the opening lap, while Piastri, Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll and Nico Hulkenberg pitted before the standing restart to abandon their slick-tyre gamble.
When the race finally went green, Antonelli and Russell immediately swept into the lead, while Verstappen narrowly held third after a sensational launch from Liam Lawson.
Ferrari's strategy unravelled almost immediately. Leclerc clipped Hulkenberg's Audi, damaging his front wing and forcing an early stop, while Hamilton and Norris struggled badly on slicks.
Verstappen takes control
Verstappen dispatched Russell for second at Turn 4 on lap six before setting his sights on Antonelli. The young Mercedes driver survived an excursion at the final corner two laps later, but Red Bull was clearly closing in.
Then Valtteri Bottas lost control at Turn 13 and became stranded in the gravel, bringing out the Safety Car.
The timing was perfect for almost everyone. The track had dried sufficiently for slicks to become the faster option, allowing the intermediate runners to switch compounds while those who had started on slicks could finally repair their strategy.
Verstappen wasted little time after the restart. He went around the outside of Antonelli at Turn 1 before Russell swept past his team-mate at Turn 5.
Antonelli was suddenly third.
The Mercedes youngster refused to settle, however, and passed Russell at Turn 4 on lap 21. At the front, Verstappen was beginning to disappear.
A collision between Bortoleto and Carlos Sainz added another twist, with the Audi driver receiving a 10-second penalty and the Williams dropping to 18th.
Meanwhile, Hamilton was steadily repairing his disastrous opening stint. By lap 22, the Ferrari driver had climbed to fifth, with Leclerc breaking into the top ten one lap later.
Mercedes suffers another blow
Antonelli lost valuable time after running wide at the final corner on lap 24 and clipping the pit-entry bollard. Verstappen's advantage grew to 7.5 seconds, and the Red Bull was increasingly comfortable at the front.
The second round of stops began around lap 29. Russell pitted on lap 32 for soft tyres, although the timing was earlier than he wanted. Antonelli followed a lap later to protect against an undercut, while Verstappen stopped with an 11-second advantage.
For a moment, the lead changed hands when a Virtual Safety Car was deployed after Alex Albon stopped with a technical failure.
Verstappen took advantage of the inexpensive pitstop but surrendered the lead to Antonelli. Mercedes subsequently brought both cars in as the VSC developed into a full Safety Car.
The final order was set for another dramatic restart: Verstappen, Antonelli, Russell, Hadjar, Hamilton, Leclerc, Piastri, Norris, Lawson and Fernando Alonso.
But Russell would not make it to the finish.
Verstappen closes the deal
Before the Safety Car could return to the pits, Russell slowed and stopped trackside with a technical problem, ending a race that had already been slipping away from him.
Norris then fell victim to another moment of chaos, getting caught out by slowing traffic and running through the gravel. He dropped to 11th.
With just four laps remaining, racing resumed.
Verstappen was flawless. The Red Bull driver nailed the restart and immediately created enough breathing room to ensure Antonelli never had a realistic chance of challenging for victory.
Behind them, Hamilton finally completed his recovery drive by passing Hadjar at Turn 1 on lap 53 to secure his first podium since Silverstone. Leclerc also found a way past the Frenchman soon afterwards.
Piastri finished sixth ahead of Lawson, while Alonso produced another typically stubborn defence to keep Norris behind him and claim eighth.
Lindblad took the final point in tenth, another strong result for Racing Bulls against Alpine.
Esteban Ocon, meanwhile, suffered a particularly miserable afternoon. Having briefly occupied sixth early in the race, the Haas driver tumbled all the way to 15th at the chequered flag, finishing behind team-mate Oliver Bearman.
For Verstappen, none of it mattered. On a night when almost everything went wrong for almost everyone else, the reigning champion finally got his 2026 campaign moving.
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