Max Verstappen has taken his first pole position of the 2026 Formula 1 season for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, beating Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by 0.298 seconds at Sepang International Circuit.
The Red Bull driver set a 1:35.130 lap in the final phase of qualifying, according to the FIA’s official report. It was enough to put him clear of Hamilton, whose final effort of 1:35.428 secured Ferrari a front-row start. Verstappen’s team-mate Isack Hadjar was third quickest on the timesheets but will start eighth after a five-place grid penalty for an internal combustion engine change.
Kimi Antonelli consequently moves up to third for Mercedes. The championship leader had been fourth fastest, but his qualifying was complicated when his initial Q2 lap was deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 6. He had to use another fresh set of soft tyres to progress, leaving him with only one new set for Q3.
Verstappen delivers when it matters
Verstappen had led all three practice sessions before carrying that form through qualifying. He was quickest in Q2 and initially took provisional pole in Q3 with a 1:35.250. His final lap improved that benchmark by a further 0.120 seconds, while Hamilton also found time but remained short of the Red Bull.
The FIA said the pole was Verstappen’s 49th in Formula 1 and his first since the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It also represents a marked qualifying result for Red Bull after a season in which Mercedes had set much of the early pace.
Verstappen told media after the session that Red Bull had gradually developed a better understanding of its car over recent rounds. He said the team’s upgrades had reduced some of its weaknesses and produced a more balanced car, particularly in conditions where tyre behaviour was highly sensitive to balance.
That assessment was supported by a strong showing from Hadjar, even though his engine penalty prevents Red Bull from converting its qualifying pace into a front-row lock-out. Hadjar was 0.428 seconds off pole and will line up behind the leading group after the sanction is applied.
Hamilton’s second place puts Ferrari alongside Verstappen at the start, while Charles Leclerc qualified fifth. Hamilton will start alongside Verstappen on the front row, with Antonelli third and Leclerc fourth.
Mercedes searches for answers after upgrade debut
Mercedes arrived at Sepang with a substantial upgrade package, but the team endured a more difficult qualifying than its earlier pace had suggested. Antonelli finished 0.501 seconds behind Verstappen despite his tyre limitation, while George Russell was eighth fastest, 0.741 seconds off pole. Russell will move up one position on the grid because of Hadjar’s penalty.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said the team had encountered car behaviour on Friday that it had not seen earlier in the season. He said the car appeared to be losing unusual amounts of time on the straights and was struggling with understeer in low-speed corners, especially at Turn 2.
Wolff said Mercedes still believed the upgrade was an improvement according to its internal numbers, but accepted that the Sepang result had not reflected that expectation. Russell said a direct back-to-back comparison with the previous specification was not possible during the weekend, making it difficult to separate the effect of the new parts from the circuit conditions.
Mercedes said it was assessing the package amid Sepang’s hot conditions and unusual track surface. Antonelli suggested that, with a clean session, second or third on the road might have been possible, but said Verstappen had been too quick to challenge for pole.
Tyre wear could reshape the race
The starting order may not settle the contest. Antonelli said degradation could be severe enough to produce either two- or three-stop strategies, while rain was also a possibility.
Verstappen said the heat would place demands on drivers, cars, brakes and tyres, and that it was not yet clear which team would manage those pressures best. His pole gives Red Bull track position at the outset, but the evidence from Friday and Saturday suggests that the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia will require more than one-lap pace to convert it into victory.