Max Verstappen has secured his first pole position of the 2026 Formula 1 season after dominating qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.
The Red Bull driver topped all three qualifying sessions and finished 0.298 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who will start alongside him on the front row.
Verstappen’s pole is his first since the 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi and comes after a challenging campaign in which Red Bull has struggled with pace and car balance.
Isack Hadjar put Red Bull’s second car third fastest, but a five-place grid penalty means Mercedes’ championship leader Kimi Antonelli will move up to third on the starting grid.
Charles Leclerc qualified fifth for Ferrari, while McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri took sixth and seventh respectively.
Antonelli finished 0.501 seconds behind Verstappen, while his Mercedes team-mate George Russell could manage only eighth.
The result came after Mercedes introduced its first major upgrade since the Canadian Grand Prix in June, although the team did not see the improvement it had hoped for.
Antonelli’s qualifying session was also compromised after his first lap in Q2 was deleted for exceeding track limits. With only one new set of soft tyres remaining for the final session, he was unable to mount a stronger challenge.
“It’s a shame because with only one set, big pressure,” Antonelli said. “With another set we could have fought for front row.”
McLaren also struggled to match its recent pace, with Norris ending qualifying 0.627 seconds off pole.
Fernando Alonso delivered Aston Martin’s strongest qualifying performance of the season, taking 12th place. The result follows confirmation that the two-time world champion will remain in Formula 1 for at least another year.
Alonso said the team’s improved performance showed that recent changes to the car were beginning to pay off.
The second Aston Martin of Lance Stroll qualified 14th, while Carlos Sainz split the two Aston Martins in 13th for Williams.
Red Bull’s recent aerodynamic upgrade, introduced at the previous race in Azerbaijan, appears to have provided a significant improvement at the demanding Sepang circuit.
Verstappen said the result was particularly satisfying after the team’s difficult start to the season.
“We have been trying many grands prix to get pole, sometimes a bit closer than others,” Verstappen said. “But to finally get it from where we started the season, pretty incredible.”
Hamilton’s front-row start sets up an intriguing race on Sunday, reviving memories of his intense title battle with Verstappen in 2021.
The Bahrain Grand Prix is expected to be a major test of tyre management and car performance, with temperatures adding to the challenge for teams and drivers.