Verstappen claims first 2026 pole at Sepang ahead of Hamilton

Max Verstappen secured his first pole position of 2026 on Saturday, October 3, setting the fastest lap in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Formula 1's official report recorded a time of 1 minute 35.130 seconds for the Red Bull driver at Sepang, putting him 0.298 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.

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Verstappen led Q1, Q2 and Q3. Hamilton's final effort separated the Red Bulls, leaving Isack Hadjar third fastest. The qualifying order will not be the starting order: Hadjar has a five-place grid penalty and is set to line up eighth, promoting fourth-fastest Kimi Antonelli to third. Charles Leclerc qualified fifth, ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

George Russell finished eighth in qualifying, with Pierre Gasly ninth and Gabriel Bortoleto completing the top 10. Formula 1 reported that Antonelli had an earlier Q2 lap deleted for exceeding track limits. He needed another run on fresh soft tyres to progress, reducing his supply of new rubber for the final session.

Speedcafe reported that Hamilton credited a final setup change before qualifying with improving his Ferrari's balance. He described the heat and overheating tyres as difficulties throughout practice, but said the adjustment helped bring the car into a better operating range. His improvement was enough to prevent a Red Bull sweep of the front row, although Verstappen retained a clear advantage on the timesheets.

The same report said Hadjar was encouraged by Red Bull's pace despite the penalty that will drop him down the grid. He believed the car gave him a chance to recover positions in the race. Verstappen, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction at finally taking pole after earlier near misses this season and said his aim from first place would be victory.

The event carries Bahrain's name despite taking place in Malaysia. In its July announcement, Formula 1 said the arrangement had been reached with the FIA and the governments of Bahrain and Malaysia to preserve a race that otherwise would not have taken place. The October 2-4 meeting was placed between the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grands Prix, with the rest of the calendar unchanged.