Sepang: Verstappen tames the deluge to hand Red Bull its first win of 2026

A race that took its time to get going

The Bahrain Grand Prix, relocated to Malaysia, promised to be tricky, and it was before cars even reached the first corner. Torrential rain hit Sepang at the scheduled start time, forcing race control to push the start back more than once. In the meantime, power unit software glitches disrupted several cars on the formation laps, and Isack Hadjar nearly went off after aquaplaning. When the lights finally went out, the track was neither properly wet nor really dry. A perfect headache for the strategists.

Verstappen, on pole for the first time this season, never flinched. In shifting conditions, the Dutchman did what he so often does better than anyone: feel the grip lap after lap without ever putting himself at risk. Getting the tyre call right when switching to dry rubber then gave him the decisive edge over Antonelli.

A milestone for Red Bull and its in-house engine

Beyond the name of the winner, it is what this win represents that matters. Red Bull is racing its own power unit this year, developed with Ford, and the season has long looked like a work in progress. Sixteenth race, first victory: a long wait for a team used to winning. After the flag, Verstappen chose to highlight exactly that rather than his own drive, calling it remarkable to win in the very first year with an engine built in-house.

It could have been even better. Hadjar ran third for a long time until the final neutralisation, nine laps from the end, reshuffled the order. At the restart the Frenchman lost two places and finished fifth. Frustrating, but also confirmation of solid form after his podium in Baku.

Hamilton comes from nowhere, Ferrari limits the damage

Lewis Hamilton's podium was probably the comeback of the weekend. Starting from the front row, the Briton saw a Ferrari tyre gamble backfire early on, dropping him towards the back of the pack. He then clawed his way back pass after pass, also using the safety cars to get back in the fight and snatch third place. Charles Leclerc, fourth, rounded off a decent day for the Scuderia.

Further back, Oscar Piastri took sixth ahead of Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso. Lando Norris spoiled a clean race by missing his braking point into Turn 1 right after the restart: a trip through the gravel and ninth at the flag. As for the French drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finished well outside the points, 15th and 16th respectively.

Russell, the big loser of the day

The championship turned during the second safety car, called out for Alex Albon's Williams stranded at the side of the track. George Russell then pulled over too, with a suspected power unit problem. A heavy blow, as his team-mate Antonelli, second on the day, stretched his lead in the standings to 84 points, his biggest cushion of the season.

With seven rounds still to go, nothing is mathematically settled. But Russell's margin for error has all but vanished: from now on he has to win, and hope the young Italian stumbles.

Sepang was a reminder that a wet race is still the best test of raw talent, and Verstappen once again delivered. The question now is whether this win marks a real turning point for Red Bull or stays the exception of one crazy Sunday. The next rounds, in the dry, will show whether the team has finally found enough to play spoiler all the way to Abu Dhabi.