Verstappen Wins Rain-Hit Bahrain Grand Prix

Max Verstappen won the rain-hit 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit, earning his first victory of the season after starting from pole. A storm and formation-lap problems delayed the start by about 100 minutes. Verstappen regained the lead from championship leader Kimi Antonelli and held him off to win by 2.3 seconds; Antonelli finished second and extended his championship advantage. Lewis Hamilton recovered from near the back of the field after Ferrari’s decision to start on slick tyres backfired, finishing third, while Charles Leclerc took fourth. George Russell retired late with a suspected power-unit failure.