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Verstappen Secures First 2026 Pole Position Ahead of Hamilton
Confirmed
In Short: Verstappen's time of 1:35.130 in the final qualifying session put him ahead of Hamilton, who qualified in second place for Ferrari.
Max Verstappen secured his first pole position of the 2026 Formula One season at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, edging out Lewis Hamilton by 0.298 seconds.
Verstappen's time of 1:35.130 in the final qualifying session put him ahead of Hamilton, who qualified in second place for Ferrari.
Red Bull's Isack Hadjar initially clocked the third-fastest time but will start eighth due to a five-place grid penalty for taking on new engine components.
Hamilton acknowledged the challenge ahead, stating, 'We know we have to be very particular in our approach to the race if we are to have any chance of beating Verstappen.
This is the first time Verstappen and Hamilton will share the front row since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Verstappen's pole position marks a significant moment for Red Bull, as it is the first time a non-Mercedes-powered car has started on pole this year.
F1 rookie Liam Lawson narrowly missed out on a spot in Q3, finishing 11th in his Racing Bulls car.
Red Bull's strong performance in qualifying highlights the team's progress with recent upgrades, as Verstappen had been a near-constant threat at the front since before the summer shutdown.
Despite Red Bull's dominance, Mercedes struggled for pace during qualifying, failing to secure a top position on the grid.
What this adds
This report confirms Verstappen's first pole position of the 2026 season, aligning with prior WarpBeat coverage.
Background
Max Verstappen secured his first pole position of the 2026 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, edging out Lewis Hamilton by 0.298 seconds.
Max Verstappen secured his first pole position of the season at the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with Red Bull's Isack Hadjar starting third and Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari in second.
What's confirmed
- This is Verstappen’s first pole position of the 2026 F1 season.
What's still developing
- Verstappen, then just 20 years old, secured the second victory of his career ahead of Hamilton, though of course the Brit went on to win the world championship that season - the fourth of his eventual seven titles.
- A victory might also be on the cards, but he knows that to get the better of the Red Bull starting ahead he will need to be very particular in his approach to the race.
- The penalty was issued after Red Bull fitted a new internal combustion engine to his car.
- The change of venue has created a unique F1 weekend, but the qualifying battle still produced a familiar fight between Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.
- Also Read: F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia Qualifying LIVE: Latest Updates, Results & Pole Position Max Verstappen delivered when it mattered in Q3.
- Verstappen produced a stunning pair of laps to beat his old F1 title rival Lewis Hamilton to pole by 0.298 seconds.
- That time was soon beaten by a flying Verstappen, who went half a second clear before his team mate slotted into P2, marking a strong start for Red Bull.
- Red Bull’s Max Verstappen topped each segment of Qualifying at the Sepang International Circuit on his way to clinching pole position.
- After setting the pace through Q1 and Q2, Verstappen looked unbeatable and ultimately opened up an advantage of 0.298s over Hamilton, ending the session with a time of 1m 35.130s.
- Racing Bulls missed out on Q3 despite Arvid Lindblad’s best efforts to give Liam Lawson a tow, with the Briton set to be relegated to the back of the grid after switching out his old power unit.
- Leaders Mercedes were stunned by Red Bull and their rivals The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia will begin on Sunday at 6pm AEST. seized provisional pole early in qualifying and remained untouchable, claiming the top spot on the grid with a time of 1:35.130s as the rest of the field failed to shake his benchmark around the demanding streets of Sepang. ’s delivered a stellar lap to join his former championship rival on the front row at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.