MAX Verstappen waited nine years for Formula 1 to return to Sepang. He needed only one race to remind everyone why the Malaysian circuit has been so good to him.
Verstappen conquered a chaotic, rain-hit Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Sunday, holding off championship leader Kimi Antonelli to claim his first win of the season and the 72nd of his career.
READ: Verstappen beats Hamilton to maiden pole this year at Bahrain GP
The four-time world champion won in the same circuit where he took the final Malaysian Grand Prix in 2017, making him the last winner before F1 dropped Sepang from the calendar and the first upon its return.
“It’s incredible. Already, to win our first race in our first year with our own power unit, it is pretty impressive,” the Red Bull star said.
Red Bull reign, in the rain
It was hardly a straightforward afternoon. Torrential rain delayed the start by more than 90 minutes, while technical problems and a chaotic formation sequence added to the early drama.
Verstappen himself briefly lost power before the race got underway, then dropped behind the two Mercedes cars at the start.
But once the race settled, Verstappen found his rhythm. He fought his way back to the front, made the right calls through the changing conditions and controlled the late restart to keep Antonelli at bay.
Lewis Hamilton completed the podium after a remarkable recovery from 18th, while George Russell’s title hopes suffered another blow when his Mercedes stopped with a suspected power-unit problem with five laps remaining.
Charles Leclerc came home fourth, followed by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in fifth and sixth, respectively. Fernando Alonso finished seventh, with Carlos Sainz eighth, Alex Albon ninth and Pierre Gasly completing the top 10.
For Verstappen, the victory extended a remarkable streak: he has now won at least one Formula 1 race in nine consecutive seasons, dating back to 2018.
Antonelli settled for second but still emerged as one of the biggest winners in the championship fight. The Mercedes youngster added 18 points to move to 320, stretching his lead over teammate Russell from 66 points to 84 ater Russell's late retirement.
Verstappen, meanwhile, climbed to 188 points, level with Norris, after finally opening his 2026 win account. Hamilton’s recovery to third lifted him to 214, while Leclerc’s fourth-place finish moved him to 191.
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