Max Verstappen converted pole position into victory at the Bahrain GP in Malaysia. F1’s first race at Sepang in nine years got off to a chaotic start when it started raining an hour before the start. This, followed by an aborted start procedure after multiple cars stopped on track due to a software issue, resulted in the race starting an hour and a half late.
Behind Verstappen, Kimi Antonelli held on to second place to further extend his title lead as his Mercedes teammate George Russell retired with just a handful of laps to go. Despite dropping down the order in the early stages, Lewis Hamilton pulled off an incredible recovery to make it to the podium.
- Verstappen wins, 2.307 seconds ahead of Antonelli
- Antonelli extends title lead to 84 points after Russell’s retirement
Verstappen wins in Malaysia; Russell retires
Verstappen initially dropped behind Antonelli and Russell when the race finally got underway. But the four-time world champion eventually reclaimed the lead and controlled the pace out at the front from there on. He defended that lead through a Virtual Safety Car and even a full Safety Car period to secure his and Red Bull Racing’s first win of the season.
“What an incredible result! The race was not made easy for us with all the decisions we had to make and then the Safety Car at the end on top of everything. But we made all the right calls with the tyres, kept our cool, and it all paid off,” said Verstappen.
Antonelli finished 2.307 seconds behind in second place. His teammate Russell was on course to finish third, but with just a few laps to go, he was forced to stop due to a PU issue. This comes as a major hit to Russell’s championship chances, with the gap to leader Antonelli now standing at 84 points – that’s more than three race wins.
Ferrari recovers from early setback
Ferrari fumbled strategy, with Hamilton and Leclerc starting the race on soft tyres. With the track still wet, both drivers dropped down the order. While Leclerc pitted early to switch to intermediate tyres, Hamilton – who was now down in P17 – stayed on the softs. He eventually made the tyres work, though, as the track started drying.
Russell’s retirement helped the Brit finish P3. “Sepang is always a great track to race on, but today is definitely one of the most memorable. It was a really demanding race and not an easy one to manage from the start, but the team did a fantastic job staying calm and executing well after a difficult opening phase,” said Hamilton.
“We found ourselves on the back foot very early on with the tyre choice, yet everyone stayed focused and kept pushing. We didn’t give up despite a big gap building straight away, and step by step, we managed to fight our way back into contention and keep the pressure on until the flag. To finish on the podium after the way the race began feels really satisfying and is a great reward for the hard work, determination and resilience everyone showed today.”
Leclerc finished behind him in fourth place, handing Ferrari a strong points haul. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri crossed the line P6, followed by Racing Bulls’s Liam Lawson and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. Lando Norris, in the second McLaren car, ended up P9 after losing control behind the Safety Car. Racing Bulls’s Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.
Next up on the F1 calendar is the Singapore GP on October 9-11.
Saptarshi Mondal
