Max Verstappen secured his first win of the 2026 season at the chaotic Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Finishing in third place, Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton had an eventful race, while Kimi Antonelli extended his championship lead over Mercedes team-mate George Russell to 84 points with a second-place finish at Sepang. Russell faced disappointment, retiring from the race while in third due to a power unit failure.

Driver Ratings:

• Max Verstappen - 9.5/10
  Dominant throughout qualifying, recovering from a poor start to control the race.

• Kimi Antonelli - 9/10
  Excellent start and secured second after a solid performance despite Mercedes' struggles.

• Lewis Hamilton - 9.5/10
  Fought back from 18th to podium after a slick tyre gamble by Ferrari.

• Charles Leclerc - 8.5/10
  Recovered impressively to fourth from early tyre issues, salvaging points for Ferrari.

• Isack Hadjar - 8.5/10
  Showed strong qualifying pace but battled back to finish fifth after an engine penalty.

• Oscar Piastri - 7.5/10
  Made a smart call to switch to intermediates, finishing sixth.

• Liam Lawson - 8.5/10
  Gained seven positions at the start, finishing seventh after a strong drive.

• Fernando Alonso - 8/10
  Achieved Aston Martin's best result lately with an eighth-place finish.

• Lando Norris - 5.5/10
  Frustrating race marred by an avoidable mistake behind the safety car.

• Arvid Lindblad - 8.5/10
  Impressive recovery from the back of the grid to score points.

• Nico Hulkenberg - 7/10
  Strong recovery to finish just outside the points after starting 15th.

• Lance Stroll - 6.5/10
  Competitive weekend, finishing 12th while avoiding trouble.

• Franco Colapinto - 7/10
  Solid recovery from 21st to 13th, keeping clean after previous mistakes.

• Oliver Bearman - 5/10
  An anonymous performance, finishing 14th after a disappointing qualifying.

• Esteban Ocon - 5/10
  Fought well in the top 10 but ultimately finished behind Bearman.

• Pierre Gasly - 5.5/10
  Good qualifying but fell to 16th due to a failed strategy.

• Carlos Sainz - 6/10
  Compromised race with contact, finishing 17th after a decent qualifying.

• Gabriel Bortoleto - 4.5/10
  Penalized for contact, finishing 18th after starting in Q3.

• Sergio Perez - 4/10
  Finished 19th after a challenging weekend.

• Alex Albon - 4.5/10
  Retired due to a gearbox problem, struggling for pace.

• Valtteri Bottas - 3.5/10
  A forgettable weekend, spinning into gravel early in the race.