Verstappen beats Hamilton to Bahrain Grand Prix pole in Malaysia

Max Verstappen took pole position ahead of Lewis Hamilton at Sepang on Oct. 3, 2026, in qualifying described by the outlets as being for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The Red Bull driver recorded a fastest lap of 1 minute 35.130 seconds, with Ferrari’s Hamilton qualifying second.¹²³⁴

Hamilton secures the front row

Hamilton moved ahead of Isack Hadjar late in the final qualifying session to join Verstappen on the front row. The BBC reported that Verstappen had led all three qualifying segments and finished 0.298 seconds clear of Hamilton, although that margin and sweep were reported by the BBC alone. Verstappen and Hamilton had not shared a front row since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix.²⁴⁵

Hamilton’s second place followed difficulties with tyre degradation during practice. He said Ferrari made a final adjustment before qualifying that improved the car’s setup. Verstappen, meanwhile, described the result as the culmination of repeated attempts to close the gap to rivals over several Grands Prix.³⁴⁵

Hadjar penalty changes the order

Hadjar was third fastest, but a five-place grid penalty will send him back to eighth. Reports said the Red Bull driver had exceeded his permitted seasonal engine allocation and took a new engine. The sanction promoted Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader, to third on the starting grid.¹²³⁴

Antonelli’s first lap in the second qualifying segment was deleted after he exceeded track limits. He then used another set of soft tyres, leaving him with one new set for the final segment. Charles Leclerc was fifth fastest for Ferrari and will share the second row with Antonelli after Hadjar’s demotion.¹³

McLaren secured both places on the third row. Lando Norris qualified ahead of Oscar Piastri, who moved up one place following Hadjar’s penalty. George Russell, who won the previous Grand Prix in Azerbaijan, will start seventh after qualifying eighth fastest.¹²³⁴

Mercedes upgrade fails to deliver expected gain

Mercedes arrived in Malaysia with a substantial upgrade package, but its qualifying performance fell short of the team’s expectations. Team boss Toto Wolff said the outcome was difficult to explain, while Russell said Mercedes did not have the required pace. Russell had reduced Antonelli’s championship advantage to 66 points by winning in Azerbaijan the previous week.¹²³⁴

Reports differed over how to characterise the wider significance of Verstappen’s result. The BBC described it as the first pole of 2026 for both Verstappen and Red Bull, while other accounts confirmed the pole without supporting that full season-first designation. The Guardian separately reported that it was Verstappen’s 49th career pole, his first in Malaysia and his first since the previous year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.¹²³⁴

Return to Sepang

Sepang last hosted a Formula One meeting in 2017, when Verstappen won the race. According to The Guardian and the BBC, the Bahrain race was relocated to Malaysia after an earlier event was called off or delayed amid the Middle East conflict.¹²³⁴