SEPANG, Malaysia — Heavy rain could not keep Max Verstappen from his first Formula 1 victory of the season in Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, which was run at the Sepang Int’l Circuit in Malaysia.
The four-time world champion converted pole position into victory in a race that featured an entertaining crossover from intermediate tires to slicks, and saw overtaking from start to finish – as well as a dramatic late retirement for George Russell.
After a delayed start and then a suspended start procedure, as several drivers struggled to maintain speed on the initial formation lap, the race eventually got under way in slippery, mixed conditions – leading to split tyre strategies and plenty of early action.
Polesitter Verstappen fell behind Mercedes pair Kimi Antonelli and Russell on the run down to Turn 1, with all three drivers running intermediate tires, but he soon settled into a rhythm and managed to pick off the Silver Arrows either side of a Safety Car that was deployed when Valtteri Bottas spun out.
That Safety Car period represented the ideal window for the intermediate starters to switch to slick tires, with those who lined up on slick compounds getting caught out, and threats of further rain not materializing before the checkered flag.
“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,” Verstappen said. “But we made all the right calls with the tyres, kept our cool, and it all paid off. Of course, to win a race in the first year of being a new power unit manufacturer is honestly just incredible and something everyone should be really proud of.
“We knew from the start that Red Bull Ford Powertrains built a strong engine and also knew the limitations too. Although it was hard at times, and we sometimes didn’t believe we could get this win, we kept pushing. The Team has also been working hard to understand our issues and brought performance upgrades to the car. Step by step, we have been getting closer and today we did it, which is really special and an emotional moment. It is an incredible project and winning in our first season together is a fantastic feeling.”
Verstappen controlled proceedings after working his way back into P1, pulling away from Antonelli and Russell – who had their own battle over second – and navigating a late Virtual Safety Car/Safety Car combination to secure his and Red Bull’s breakthrough first win of the campaign.
Antonelli was already set to extend his championship lead over Russell by three points when his teammate dramatically ground to a halt on the start/finish straight behind that final Safety Car, dealing another blow to the Briton’s already slim title chances.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were high-profile names to start the race on slick tyres, with both drivers dropping towards the back of the grid as a result. However, inspired comeback drives saw them recover to third and fourth, respectively, and bag a healthy haul of points for Ferrari.
Isack Hadjar dropped from third to fifth in the closing laps as Hamilton and Leclerc completed their charges, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in P6, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson in P7 and Fernando Alonso in a morale-boosting P8 for Aston Martin.
