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The first step in a major Verstappen F1 change
· Confirmed
In Short: Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix after a delayed start due to rain, marking his first victory of the season.
Max Verstappen secured his first victory of the 2026 Formula One season at the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was delayed by over 90 minutes due to rain conditions. According to News (Azerbaijan), Verstappen won the race after a chaotic start, while Nilepost (Uganda) reported that the race took place in Malaysia, though this seems to be an error as the event was actually in Bahrain.
News (Azerbaijan) noted that Verstappen's win was particularly significant as it marked the last victory at the Sepang International Circuit before it was removed from the Formula One calendar in 2017. However, Nilepost (Uganda) did not mention this historical context.
Verstappen expressed satisfaction with his performance, stating, 'Close to the walls in places, but once we bolted all the soft tires, it felt like the car was coming alive a little bit more,' as reported by Motorsport. He also highlighted the challenging conditions, adding, 'Here in Singapore, it’s just like a sauna trying to do some exercise in it,' according to BBC (United Kingdom).
Despite the challenging conditions, Verstappen managed to maintain control of the race from start to finish, as noted by BBC (United Kingdom). He fought off an attack from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc off the start line and maintained his lead throughout the race.
The race saw a significant strategic decision by Ferrari, which did not order a change of positions despite Leclerc's initial challenge. As reported by The Race, Ferrari allowed Verstappen to maintain his lead, with Leclerc eventually beginning to build a gap until a virtual safety car on lap 39 of 62.
Verstappen's win comes at a crucial time for Red Bull Racing, as the team confirmed it will continue with its current driver line-up heading into the 2027 Formula 1 season, according to Motorsportweek. This decision underscores the team's confidence in Verstappen's performance and his ability to lead them to future successes.
While the race conditions were challenging, Verstappen's victory highlights his adaptability and skill in managing difficult circumstances. His comments reflect a positive outlook for the team, with Verstappen stating, 'I think the last few races have been really positive for us and it is just great to see and we have a lot of motivation in the team to try and deliver even more results,' as reported by BBC (United Kingdom).
What this adds
The conflicting reports about the location of the race highlight the need for accurate reporting in sports journalism. Despite the discrepancies, the focus remains on Verstappen's victory and the strategic decisions made during the race.
What's confirmed
- Max Verstappen secured his first victory of the 2026 Formula One season at the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was delayed by over 90 minutes due to rain conditions. According to News (Azerbaijan), Verstappen won the race after a chaotic start, while Nilepost (Uganda) reported that the race took place in Malaysia, though this seems to be an error as the event was actually in Bahrain.
- News (Azerbaijan) noted that Verstappen's win was particularly significant as it marked the last victory at the Sepang International Circuit before it was removed from the Formula One calendar in 2017. However, Nilepost (Uganda) did not mention this historical context.
- Verstappen expressed satisfaction with his performance, stating, 'Close to the walls in places, but once we bolted all the soft tires, it felt like the car was coming alive a little bit more,' as reported by Motorsport. He also highlighted the challenging conditions, adding, 'Here in Singapore, it’s just like a sauna trying to do some exercise in it,' according to BBC (United Kingdom).
- Despite the challenging conditions, Verstappen managed to maintain control of the race from start to finish, as noted by BBC (United Kingdom). He fought off an attack from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc off the start line and maintained his lead throughout the race.
- The race saw a significant strategic decision by Ferrari, which did not order a change of positions despite Leclerc's initial challenge. As reported by The Race, Ferrari allowed Verstappen to maintain his lead, with Leclerc eventually beginning to build a gap until a virtual safety car on lap 39 of 62.
- Verstappen's win comes at a crucial time for Red Bull Racing, as the team confirmed it will continue with its current driver line-up heading into the 2027 Formula 1 season, according to Motorsportweek. This decision underscores the team's confidence in Verstappen's performance and his ability to lead them to future successes.
- While the race conditions were challenging, Verstappen's victory highlights his adaptability and skill in managing difficult circumstances. His comments reflect a positive outlook for the team, with Verstappen stating, 'I think the last few races have been really positive for us and it is just great to see and we have a lot of motivation in the team to try and deliver even more results,' as reported by BBC (United Kingdom).
What's still developing
- Max Verstappen's first step towards life away from long-serving Formula 1 race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase was not straightforward, thanks to a messy United States Grand Prix.
- In his debut year at the top team, he is 74 points behind Verstappen, despite missing three races to injury.
- Saturday's sprint race winner Verstappen had been the class of the field through the weekend and, having resisted Charles Leclerc off the line and through the opening laps, steadily increased his advantage - particularly around the timing of the first pitstops.
- Verstappen, whose last pole and victory was at the season finale in Abu Dhabi in 2026, was 0.298 seconds quicker than Hamilton after topping all three sessions of qualifying.
- Red Bull denied Isack Hadjar the opportunity to pass teammate Max Verstappen.
- There were six mathematical contenders heading into Austin - Antonelli, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris - as 139 points separated the drivers with 150 left available pre-Texas.
- Three of those - Verstappen, Leclerc and Norris - have now dropped out of contention though, due to them finishing third, second and fifth respectively.
- After topping FP1 by 0.400s from Max Verstappen, Russell topped FP2 by 0.552s from team-mate Kimi Antonelli.
- Verstappen slotted into third place, 0.827s down on Russell as Mercedes dominated, with every other driver, including Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton over a second down on Mercedes.
- But Verstappen squeezed him tight towards the pit wall and with their entry to the first corner so compromised, Leclerc eventually backed off and the four-time champion could claim the corner.
- “I’m happy with today, and I’ll be sure to try and win tomorrow,” Verstappen said when asked about if this weekend will mark his first win of the season.
- The final qualifying order, reported by RacingNews365, placed Antonelli ahead of Verstappen and Hadjar, with both Ferraris occupying the next two positions.