Max Verstappen secured Red Bull's first pole position of the 2026 Formula 1 season by defeating Lewis Hamilton in a thrilling qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

The two drivers will share the front row for Sunday’s race at 8am (with build-up starting at 6.30am), marking their first front-row pairing since the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2023. Verstappen showcased a commanding performance, topping each qualifying segment and ultimately finishing 0.298 seconds ahead of Hamilton.

Key highlights from the qualifying session include:

• Isack Hadjar achieved his best career qualifying result by placing third but will start eighth due to a five-grid penalty for a new internal combustion engine.
• Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader, will start third after a strategic error in Q2, which forced him to use an extra set of tires.
• Antonelli holds a 66-point lead over his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who will start in seventh after struggling with pace.
• Charles Leclerc from Ferrari secured the fourth position, while McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were not in contention for pole.

Fans can catch all the action live on Sky Sports F1 and Main Event with further coverage to follow post-race.