Red Bull’s Verstappen wins rain-delayed Bahrain GP F1 race in Sepang

What the report says

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the rain-delayed Bahrain Grand Prix, staged at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia on Sunday after the race started about an hour and 40 minutes late because of heavy rain, according to Al Jazeera. The Dutch driver, who had taken pole, recovered from an early setback in wet conditions and moved to the front after a safety-car period before building a lead he kept to the finish.

Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader, finished second, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton took third. Al Jazeera also reported that Mercedes’ George Russell was running in third before retiring with five laps remaining after a suspected power-unit problem under a late safety car. Other notable finishers included Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in fourth and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar in fifth.

The report said Verstappen had struggled at the start on intermediate tires and briefly lost positions to the Mercedes cars before the track began drying. Once slick tires became the preferred choice, he regained control of the race and was not challenged afterward. Hamilton, meanwhile, recovered from an early slide down the field in the wet to secure a podium finish.

The result gave Verstappen his first victory of the 2026 Formula One season and a strong boost for Red Bull. More broadly, the article noted that the Bahrain Grand Prix was moved to Malaysia because of wider disruptions to the international sports calendar.