Max Verstappen took his first pole of the 2026 Method 1 marketing campaign to ship on his early weekend promise by dominating qualifying on the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
The Pink Bull driver was quickest in all three classes after additionally topping FP1 on Friday to take his first pole because the 2025 Abu Dhabi finale with a 1m35.130s at Sepang.
Verstappen might be joined on the entrance row by Lewis Hamilton on the weekend Malaysia ends its nine-year hiatus from F1 to host the Bahrain Grand Prix on account of battle within the Center East.
It comes after the four-time world champion additionally went quickest within the first runs of Q3, taking the provisional high spot with a 1m35.250s, 0.308s faster than team-mate Isack Hadjar in second.
Verstappen then failed to enhance within the first two sectors of his second lap, earlier than bouncing again with a purple last sector to go 0.120s faster for the forty ninth pole of the Dutchman’s profession.
His last time was 0.298s quicker than Hamilton’s 1m35.428s for Ferrari, which pushed Hadjar down to 3rd after the F1 sophomore failed to enhance on his last lap.
Hadjar will serve a five-place grid penalty for an engine change which is able to see him begin the Bahrain GP in Malaysia from eighth place.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Picture by: Clive Mason / Getty Photographs
Championship chief Kimi Antonelli endured a battle by taking fourth, 0.501s off the tempo, after getting into Q3 already compromised by what occurred in Q2.
The Mercedes driver needed to churn by an additional set of latest softs after his first Q2 push lap was deleted for monitor limits at Flip 6, resulting in him doing only one lap within the last session.
Antonelli’s 1m35.631s in the end leaves him on the second row, one spot above Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc with a 1m35.666s, who will begin fourth forward of Lando Norris.
The reigning world champion was 0.627s off the tempo on a weekend McLaren has struggled for velocity, with Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri set to start out sixth with a 1m35.762s.
It was much more of a battle for Antonelli’s team-mate George Russell, who was 0.741s off the tempo in eighth, however will begin seventh to due Hadjar’s penalty, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto finishing the highest 10.
Liam Lawson missed out on Q3 by two tenths to take eleventh on the grid after being pushed into the Q2 elimination zone by Bortoleto proper on the finish.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Picture by: Joe Portlock / Getty Photographs
The Racing Bulls driver will duly share the sixth row with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who took his greatest qualifying results of 2026, whereas thirteenth went to Williams driver Carlos Sainz.
Sainz might be joined on the seventh row by Alonso’s team-mate Lance Stroll within the first double Q2 look of 2026 for Aston Martin, who confirmed each drivers for 2027 on Tuesday.
Franco Colapinto took fifteenth, however the Alpine driver will begin Sunday’s race on the again on account of a 15-place grid penalty: 5 for his Baku conflict and 10 for altering his Mercedes energy unit.
Rookie Arvid Lindblad took sixteenth for Racing Bulls, as he’s additionally set for a grid drop, one spot above Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg who paid the worth for beginning Q1 on the mediums.
Haas driver Oliver Bearman will be part of him on the ninth row in 18th forward of his outgoing team-mate Esteban Ocon in nineteenth – the Frenchman’s first Q1 exit since Spa.
Alex Albon’s frustrations continued with twentieth for Williams forward of the same old suspects: Valtteri Bottas in twenty first, three tenths faster than Cadillac team-mate Sergio Perez on the again.
F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Qualifying outcomes
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