Verstappen takes first pole of 2026 at Sepang as Hamilton qualifies second

Max Verstappen claimed his first pole position of 2026 at Sepang, leading Lewis Hamilton in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The Guardian reported that the Red Bull driver completed his fastest lap in 1min 35.130sec, finishing 0.298 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Hamilton as Red Bull also secured its first pole of the season.

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Isack Hadjar qualified third in the other Red Bull, but a five-place grid penalty for a new engine changes the starting order behind the front row. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, fourth in qualifying, is due to start third. Charles Leclerc was fifth for Ferrari and McLaren's Lando Norris sixth, while George Russell qualified eighth and moves up to seventh because of Hadjar's penalty.

The qualifying result leaves the two Mercedes title contenders separated on the grid. Russell had reduced Antonelli's championship advantage to 66 points by winning the previous round in Baku, with eight rounds remaining. At Sepang, however, Antonelli was the quicker Mercedes driver despite a mistake during the second qualifying session. The team was also left questioning why the upgrades it had brought had not produced the expected performance.

Antonelli had his first Q2 lap deleted for exceeding track limits and needed another run to progress. That used an additional set of soft tyres, leaving him with only one new set for the final session. He consequently had just one attempt at a fast lap in Q3. Verstappen, by contrast, improved across both of his decisive runs to establish his advantage at the front.

According to the Guardian, Verstappen has yet to win this season and is no longer in the championship fight. He credited Red Bull's progress after its difficult start and said victory was his target from pole. Hamilton's second place was his strongest qualifying result since the Hungarian Grand Prix. Antonelli acknowledged Verstappen's performance while identifying high tyre degradation as a factor that could affect the race.

The event retains the Bahrain Grand Prix name despite taking place in Malaysia. The Guardian reported that it replaces the meeting cancelled earlier in the year because of the war in the Middle East. Sepang previously hosted the Malaysian Grand Prix from 1999 to 2017, with Verstappen winning the last Formula One race held there.