F1 takeaways: Verstappen storms to victory in Malaysia with vintage performance
Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix held at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, marking his 72nd career victory. The race was delayed by heavy rain and featured a strong performance from the Red Bull driver after a mid-race restart.
Why it matters
Verstappen's win ties him with Michael Schumacher for the most wins with a single team, a major milestone in F1 history.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands celebrates on the podium flanked by second place Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy, left and third place Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (Vincent Thian/AP) Had it been so long that they forgot the Dutch national anthem?
There was a slight delay as Red Bull driver Max Verstappen stood on top of the podium Sunday at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia (no, that's not a typo) before the once-familiar tune kicked in.
Sure, it had been almost a year since his last win (unless you count the Max vs. 100 karting challenge), and nine years since his last win at the Sepang International Circuit, but Verstappen was in vintage form as F1 returned to Malaysia.
Also covering this story
22 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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