SportyTV | Verstappen claims first win of 2026 at Bahrain Grand Prix, Russell retires in blow to title hopes

Max Verstappen led Kimi Antonelli home at the Bahrain Grand Prix for his first victory of the 2026 Formula One season, with George Russell retiring in a chaotic finish.

Sunday's race – which was held at the Sepang International Circuit in neighbouring Malaysia – was delayed by an hour and a half due to heavy rain and technical issues causing several cars to lose power during their formation laps.

And when the action finally got underway, it was the Mercedes duo of Antonelli and Russell who stormed past pole-sitter Verstappen and fellow front-row starter Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton's choice to start on soft-compound slick tyres was a bad one as he plummeted all the way to 17th, falling almost a minute behind the leaders in quick time.

Verstappen, on the other hand, was sandwiched between the two Silver Arrows by the time a safety car was deployed during lap nine, due to Valtteri Bottas' Cadillac spinning off the track.

The four-time world champion took advantage of the safety car to pit, and when the race resumed, he immediately passed Antonelli to take a lead he would never give up, ultimately finishing 2.307 seconds clear of his closest competitor for his first race win since the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2025.

301 days later... he's back on the top step! #F1 || #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/gpnFbKPl36
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) October 4, 2026

Russell had fallen behind Antonelli on lap 21 and could not recover to challenge the top two from that moment on, with an engine issue causing him to pull over on lap 50, behind a safety car that had been deployed due to a similar problem affecting Alex Albon's Williams.

That incident may bring the curtain down on any championship ambitions for Russell, who has now slipped 86 points behind Antonelli in the drivers' standings.

There was then a frantic four-lap push for the chequered flag, and Hamilton was the major beneficiary as he took third place ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, capping a spectacular recovery drive.

Red Bull's Isack Hadjar placed fifth, ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri, Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso – who placed in the points for just the third time this year.

World champion Lando Norris finished ninth, having been forced onto the gravel in the aftermath of Russell's power issue and lost ground as a result.