F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia: Verstappen dominates for first pole of 2026 from Hamilton - Autosport
Max Verstappen secured pole position for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix, which is being held in Malaysia due to regional conflict. The qualifying session saw strong performances from Lewis Hamilton and grid penalties affecting other drivers like Isack Hadjar.
Why it matters
It tracks the competitive landscape of Formula 1 and illustrates how geopolitical instability can impact the scheduling of major global sporting events.
Max Verstappen took his first pole of the 2026 Formula 1 campaign to deliver on his early weekend promise by dominating qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
The Red Bull driver was fastest in all three sessions after also topping FP1 on Friday to take his first pole since the 2025 Abu Dhabi finale with a 1m35.130s at Sepang.
Verstappen will be joined on the front row by Lewis Hamilton on the weekend Malaysia ends its nine-year hiatus from F1 to host the Bahrain Grand Prix due to conflict in the Middle East.
It comes after the four-time world champion also went fastest in the first runs of Q3, taking the provisional top spot with a 1m35.250s, 0.308s quicker than team-mate Isack Hadjar in second.
Also covering this story
14 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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