Verstappen Takes Bahrain Victory With Fastest Lap To Boot

Max Verstappen claimed victory at the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix, converting pole position into a race win and also setting the fastest lap of the race — a 1:38.220 on lap 55. Andrea Kimi Antonelli brought his Mercedes home in second, with Lewis Hamilton completing the podium in third for Ferrari.

Hamilton's Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc finished fourth, while Red Bull's Isack Hadjar took fifth. Oscar Piastri was sixth for McLaren, ahead of Liam Lawson in seventh for the RB F1 Team. Fernando Alonso claimed eighth for Aston Martin, with Lando Norris ninth and Arvid Lindblad rounding out the points in tenth for RB.

In qualifying, Verstappen had set the pace with a 1:35.130, ahead of Hamilton's 1:35.428 and Hadjar's 1:35.558. Antonelli and Leclerc completed the top five on the grid, with both McLarens of Norris and Piastri close behind in sixth and seventh. George Russell qualified eighth but retired from the race, the only driver not to reach the finish. Alexander Albon did not progress beyond Q1 and did not start the race.

Finishers outside the points included Nico Hülkenberg, Lance Stroll, Franco Colapinto, Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Sergio Pérez, who made his debut appearance for the Cadillac F1 Team.