Dominant Verstappen & superb Hamilton recovery - driver ratings
Max Verstappen secured his first win of the 2026 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, while Lewis Hamilton achieved a podium finish after a difficult start. The article provides a breakdown of driver performances and race strategy.
Why it matters
Formula 1 is a major global sport with significant economic and cultural impact, and performance analysis is central to fan engagement.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Max Verstappen is sixth in the drivers' championship while Lewis Hamilton is third
Max Verstappen secured his first win of the 2026 season with victory at a chaotic Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton had an eventful race and finished third, while Kimi Antonelli extended his championship lead to 84 points over Mercedes team-mate George Russell with his second place at Sepang.
Russell retired from the grand prix while in third place with a power unit failure.
Here are my ratings for how the drivers performed across the whole weekend in Malaysia...
Verstappen wins Bahrain GP in Malaysia after long delays
Published 3 hours ago Max Verstappen - 9.5/10
Also covering this story
13 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia: Kimi Antonelli recovers from tough Friday to top FP3
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