Max Verstappen claimed his first pole position of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Sepang International Circuit on Saturday, beating Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton as Red Bull finally broke through in qualifying.
Verstappen topped all three qualifying segments before setting a 1:35.130 in Q3, finishing 0.298 seconds ahead of Hamilton to secure the front-row slot for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. (Formula 1® – The Official F1® Website)
Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar qualified third with a 1:35.558, but will drop five places on the grid after taking a new internal combustion engine. That promotes championship leader Kimi Antonelli to third, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc moving up to fourth. (Formula 1® – The Official F1® Website)
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will start fifth and sixth for McLaren, while George Russell drops to seventh after Hadjar’s penalty. Pierre Gasly and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto complete the provisional top 10. (Formula 1® – The Official F1® Website)
The result marks Verstappen’s first pole of the season and Red Bull’s first pole of 2026, ending Mercedes’ run of taking the pole positions earlier in the campaign. (Speedcafe)
It is also Verstappen’s first pole at Sepang since Formula 1 last raced in Malaysia in 2017, when he went on to win the race. (Reuters)
Hamilton’s second-place finish marks a major turnaround for Ferrari after a difficult Friday. He will share the front row with Verstappen for the first time since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. (Sky Sports)
The extreme heat at Sepang remains a major factor heading into Sunday’s race, with tyre degradation expected to play a significant role after drivers struggled with the soft compound during qualifying. (Reuters)
The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia will get underway at 3pm on Sunday, Oct 4, with the race running for 56 laps around the 5.543km Sepang International Circuit. (Formula 1® – The Official F1® Website)
