Bahrain Grand Prix Results

Synopsis

"The race that had everything", from heavy rain delays to high-stakes strategy gambles, with Sepang's dramatic F1 return for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix. Early tyre struggles reshuffled the pack, while safety cars and late mechanical heartbreaks created a tense finish. Max Verstappen controlled the final laps to secure his first win of the season ahead of Kimi Antonelli, with Lewis Hamilton completing a late charge to third.

Monsoon Chaos Hits Sepang: Heavy Rain Delays the Start

Round 16 brings Formula 1 to Sepang, Malaysia, for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix. Drivers and teams have welcomed the iconic circuit’s return after 9 years, featuring 15 sweeping corners, 55 laps, and an absolute motorsport masterpiece reborn.

Originally scheduled for 12:30 pm (IST), but heavy rain forced a delayed start. The medical car was sent out on the track, reported a significant amount of standing water around the track and loss of traction.

After some time, as the rain began to slow down, sweepers and marshals were sent out on the track to clear water, and soon the race control reported that the formation lap would take place behind a safety car. Race control said to do a minimum of 2 laps behind the safety car before a standing start as it was still raining.

Formation Lap Mayhem and Strategic Choices

As the formation lap began, Verstappen headed down first behind the safety car, with everyone else slotting down behind him. At the back, Hadjar goes off and into the gravel but manages to return to the track.

Verstappen briefly suffered power issues, while Hamilton experienced a software issue, but the team was able to fix it and was able to bring power back up. But as a result, cars in the end were forced to overtake him, and the pack started to split up from their original positions, creating a muddle in the pit lane while returning to the pits.

After 93 minutes of waiting after the original start time, a second formation lap was about to go underway, and tyre strategies varied as the rain stopped and the track would dry soon, but it was still damp in some parts, especially the kerbs. Verstappen and Mercedes ran intermediates. Ferrari opted for softs, and McLaren selected Mediums.

Lights Out at Sepang: Slick Tyre Gambles Backfire as Mercedes Surge

Second formation lap took place shortly behind the safety car. And on lap 3, as the lights finally went out in Sepang, Verstappen did not get away as expected, nor did any of those on slicks.

Antonelli in P3 and Russell in P7, getting a great start, zoomed past the front-runners taking P1 and P2. Verstappen dropped to P4 before quickly passing his part-time teammate Liam Lawson. But at the back, the Ferrari duo dropped back, with Hamilton in P10, and Leclerc suffering a slow pit stop rejoined at the back of the grid.

On lap 5, Antonelli led Russell by 1.2 seconds, with Mercedes instructing both drivers to work together. As for Hamilton, still on intermediates, unlike his teammate, he decided to stay out on the track and take the chances.

Safety Car Chaos, Pit Stop Gambles, and the Lap 13 Lead Swap

Mercedes showed great pace at the start, but Verstappen, who seems to be lacking, somehow gets back in the zone and passes Russell. It was now Italian Vs the Dutch man. Another Red Bull (Hadjar), showing great pace, overtakes Lawson on lap 7 and is now behind Russell in P3.

Antonelli is going steady regardless of the track conditions, has an absolute master on his tail with just 0.7 seconds gap, and it soon turns into a drag race between the two, but Antonelli manages to keep him at bay.

Valtteri Bottas slid into the gravel on lap 9, triggering a safety car, and meanwhile everyone on the track made a pit stop for fresh tyres except Hamilton. On lap 13, the race resumed, and Verstappen, on fresh soft tyres, attacked Antonelli going side by side and snatched the lead from him. Russell seized the opportunity to pass Antonelli as well, moving into P2.

Verstappen Builds the Gap, Mercedes Spar and Ferrari Recovers

On lap 17, Verstappen is now leading by 2.1 seconds ahead of Russell. “I have more pace,” claimed Antonelli over the radio after a few laps in Russell’s dirty air. “We’ll do something different,” replied Mercedes, regarding strategy.

On lap 21, Verstappen extended his lead by 4.2 seconds, while Antonelli managed to overtake Russell. At the back, Bortoleto received a 10-second penalty after contact with Sainz, which sent the Williams spinning.

On lap 24, Ferrari seems to have gotten back in the game as Hamilton is in P4 behind Hadjar and Leclerc is in P9, behind Piastri. On lap 29, Verstappen leads by 8.8 seconds; meanwhile, his teammate in P4 was informed about Hamilton closing rapidly and being quicker throughout the lap. He shared his frustration and shouted that he was “done!”.

Safety Car Drama Strikes Late: Russell's Power Loss Devastates Mercedes

It all goes the same for the next few laps, with some pit stops along the way, and by lap 37, by the looks of it, the leaders are set to go to the end, with an easy win for Verstappen as he leads by 10.6 seconds. This race came with a lot of surprises, one of them being that Aston Martin’s drivers are in the top 15 for a change.

VSC is deployed on lap 46 as Albon pulls over and radios to inform about the broken gearbox. Verstappen pits during the VSC, followed by the Mercedes duo, and on the very next lap the safety car comes out as a tractor was needed to move the car.

With the safety car still out on lap 50, Russell at P3 started to slow down and stopped due to a power unit issue, and climbed out of the car looking devastated. With just 4 laps remaining, the safety car ended, and on lap 52 the race was back on in Sepang.

Checkered Flag at Sepang

On lap 53, Hamilton, charging for the podium, gets Hadjar down the main straight and takes P3; Leclerc, following his teammate, passes Hadjar shortly after. On the last lap, Verstappen, heading for the win, was 1.6 seconds ahead of Antonelli, got close to that win by each sector, passed the checkered flag, and won the Bahrain Grand Prix, taking his first win of the season. This race had everything: a safety car, rain, delays, retirements, and a huge swing in the standings.

Race Results and Key Drivers

P1: Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

P2: Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

P3: Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)

Driver of the day: Max Verstappen

Fastest lap: Max Verstappen (1:38.220)

Top Speed: Pierre Gasly (352km/h)

DNFs: Bottas, Albon, Russell