The 2026 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at the Sepang International Circuit — relocated and held on October 4 — turned out to be one of the most chaotic, event-filled races of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Amid heavy tropical downpours that delayed the original start, when the cars took to the track behind the Safety Car, a widespread software glitch caused several power units to stall or lose power at low speeds.
The start was red-flagged for over 40 minutes to issue a emergency software patch across all teams. Starting on pole, Max Verstappen had a sluggish get-away on intermediate tyres, allowing the Mercedes pairing of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell to sweep past into Turn 1.
Max quickly fought back, overtaking both Mercedes cars around a Safety Car period caused by a spin from Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas. During a pit stop sequence, mechanics miraculously managed a quick tire change after a large nail was spotted embedded in Verstappen's front-left tire.
George Russell was running strong in the podium positions before suffering a late mechanical failure, forcing him to retire and bringing out a late Virtual Safety Car. With just 6 laps remaining, Russell suddenly lost drive exiting Turn 4. Behind the late Safety Car restart, Lando Norris lost control of his McLaren while running right behind teammate Oscar Piastri, sliding through the gravel and dropping down to finish 9th.
Despite the early setbacks, Verstappen produced a masterclass drive in tricky crossover conditions to claim his and Red Bull Ford's first win of 2026. Kimi Antonelli finished in P2, +2.307 seconds behind Verstappen, with Lewis Hamilton completing the podium in P3. He now holds an 84-point lead over Russell with six rounds remaining in the 2026 season.
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