Max Verstappen delivered a masterclass at the Sepang International Circuit to claim his first pole position of the 2026 season for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The four-time world champion led every segment of qualifying, setting a benchmark time of 1:35.130 in Q3 to finish nearly three-tenths clear of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
Session Breakdown
- Q1: Max Verstappen set the pace early with a 1:36.477. Ferrari ran a bold strategy by using medium compound tyres, comfortably advancing both Hamilton and Leclerc. Standard late-session track evolution saw a tight battle at the back, eliminating Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Alexander Albon, Valtteri Bottas, and Sergio Pérez.
- Q2: Verstappen lowered the benchmark to 1:35.696. Kimi Antonelli briefly lost a lap to track limits before recovering on a clear track. Liam Lawson just missed out on Q3 in 11th for Racing Bulls, while Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz Jr., and Lance Stroll were also eliminated alongside Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad, both of whom did not set representative Q2 times.
- Q3: On the first runs, Verstappen threw down a 1:35.250 to hold provisional pole over Isack Hadjar. On the final runs, Hamilton produced a brilliant purple second sector to move into P2. However, Verstappen responded by improving further to a 1:35.130. Hadjar finished third-fastest, but a five-place grid penalty for power unit components will drop him down the grid.
Full Qualifying Results & Times
| Pos | Driver | Team | Qualifying Time | Gap |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:35.130 | — |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:35.428 | +0.298 |
| 3 | Isack Hadjar* | Red Bull Racing | 1:35.558 | +0.428 |
| 4 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes AMG Petronas | 1:35.631 | +0.501 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:35.666 | +0.536 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:35.757 | +0.627 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:35.762 | +0.632 |
| 8 | George Russell | Mercedes AMG Petronas | 1:35.871 | +0.741 |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine F1 Team | 1:37.210 | +2.080 |
| 10 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi F1 Team | 1:37.673 | +2.543 |
| 11 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:37.023 (Q2) | — |
| 12 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:37.220 (Q2) | — |
| 13 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Williams | 1:37.527 (Q2) | — |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:37.566 (Q2) | — |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto** | Alpine F1 Team | 1:37.179 (Q1) | — |
| 16 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:37.883 (Q1) | — |
| 17 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi F1 Team | 1:37.970 (Q1) | — |
| 18 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:37.980 (Q1) | — |
| 19 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:38.233 (Q1) | — |
| 20 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:38.600 (Q1) | — |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac F1 Team | 1:38.611 (Q1) | — |
| 22 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac F1 Team | 1:38.933 (Q1) | — |
*Isack Hadjar carries a 5-place grid penalty (Engine change) and will start P8.
Franco Colapinto carries a grid penalty into Sunday’s race.
Qualifying Summary
Red Bull showed supreme performance around Sepang’s high-speed sweeping corners, snapping Mercedes’ recent streak of pole positions. Max Verstappen’s lap was a display of outright speed and control, cementing his return to the top step on Saturdays. Ferrari will be thrilled with Lewis Hamilton securing P2 on the front row, especially after saving sets of soft tyres during Q1.
With Isack Hadjar dropping down the grid due to his power unit penalty, championship leader Kimi Antonelli is promoted to start 3rd alongside Leclerc on the second row. McLaren locks out row three with Norris and Piastri separated by a mere five-thousandths of a second. Heading into Sunday, high track temperatures and severe thermal degradation mean tyre management will dictate who takes the victory over the 56-lap distance.
