Lewis Hamilton fell from second to 18th after Ferrari’s slick-tire gamble failed. Safety Cars opened the door, and a late pass on Isack Hadjar secured third at Sepang.

Arvid Lindblad started last and passed Nico Hülkenberg on the final lap to finish tenth at Sepang, completing a seven-point afternoon for Racing Bulls.

Max Verstappen claimed his first win of 2026 in a rain-disrupted Bahrain GP at Sepang. Antonelli finished second, Hamilton recovered to third, and Russell retired late.

Alonso qualified 12th and Stroll 14th at Sepang, delivering Aston Martin’s first double-Q2 appearance of 2026. Both drivers achieved their best qualifying positions of the season.

Mercedes expected its Sepang upgrades to deliver three tenths. After qualifying fourth and eighth, Wolff pointed to straight-line losses and unexpected understeer.

Verstappen claimed his first pole of 2026 at Sepang, beating Hamilton by 0.298 seconds. Hadjar qualified third but faces a five-place grid penalty.

Leclerc topped FP2 at Sepang, but Hadjar’s imperfect lap and Verstappen’s pace on medium tires left him watching Red Bull closely.

Mercedes brought more downforce to Sepang, but overheating tires limited the benefit. Friday’s bigger concern was sustaining competitive pace over longer runs.

Lindblad faces a back-of-the-grid start, Hadjar expects a five-place drop, and Colapinto carries his Baku penalty into Sepang. Here’s what each setback means.

Max Verstappen has turned 29, but his first Grand Prix win of 2026 is still missing. After consecutive second-place finishes, he wants Red Bull’s progress to deliver more.

McLaren says its Baku upgrades worked as intended. Sepang’s varied corners offer a clearer test of how much performance the package can deliver.

Sepang’s heat and humidity will test more than the cars. Here’s what the FIA’s heat-hazard declaration changes for drivers at the Bahrain GP in Malaysia.