Max Verstappen claimed Red Bull’s first pole position of the 2026 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
The four-time world champion posted a final lap of 1m 35.130s to top the timesheets for the first time since last year’s finale in Abu Dhabi, beating the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton by 0.298s.
This is the first-ever pole position for the Milton Keynes outfit’s own Red Bull Ford Powertrains, and the first pole to be scored by a non-Mercedes engine this year.
Verstappen was the last winner at Sepang in 2017 – in what was only his second career victory – and now he has a big chance to score his first win of the season and his 72nd overall on the venue’s one-off return to F1.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – OCTOBER 03: Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain in Malaysia at Sepang Circuit on October 03, 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo by Sona Maleterova/Getty Images)
Isack Hadjar originally qualified third in the second Red Bull but a five-place grid penalty for taking his seventh ICE of the season means he will start the race down from eighth.
After the penalty, current championship leader Kimi Antonelli inherits third for Mercedes while Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari moves up to fourth place ahead of the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who line up in fifth and sixth respectively.
George Russell, who claimed a nail-biting victory in Baku last time out, will have to fight his way up from seventh in his Mercedes if he wants to score the maximum points possible for his title fight.
Pierre Gasly’s Alpine will be starting in ninth behind Hadjar, with Gabriel Bortoleto rounding out the top 10 for Audi.
Here’s the starting order for Sunday’s race at Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia with penalties applied:
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 1:35.130
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): +0.298
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): +0.501
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): +0.536
Lando Norris (McLaren): +0.627
Oscar Piastri (McLaren): +0.632
George Russell (Mercedes): +0.741
Isack Hadjar (Red Bull): +0.428 *
Pierre Gasly (Alpine): +2.080
Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi): +2.080
Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls): +1.893
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): +2.090
Carlos Sainz (Williams): +2.397
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin): +2.436
Enjoying this article? Support our work with a small crypto donation.Nico Hulkenberg (Audi): +2.840
Oliver Bearman (Haas): +2.850
Esteban Ocon (Haas): +3.103
Alexander Albon (Williams): +3.470
Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac): +3.481
Sergio Perez (Cadillac): +3.803
Franco Colapinto (Alpine): +2.049 *
Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls): +2.753 *
Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 1:35.130
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): +0.501
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): +2.090
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin): +2.436
Franco Colapinto (Alpine): +2.049 *
Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls): +2.753 *
- Hadjar penalized five places for exceeding power unit component allocations.
Colapinto penalized five places for causing a collision in Baku and a further 10 places for exceeding power unit component allocations.
Lindblad penalized 30 places for exceeding power unit component allocations.
The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia starts at 3 p.m. local time on Sunday, October 4.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
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