Welcome to our 2026 Bahrain GP in Malaysia GP Sunday Live Blog!
After two days of practice and a dramatic qualifying session, we’re finally ready for lights out at Sepang.
Max Verstappen will start from pole after topping every part of qualifying to secure his first pole of the 2026 season. Lewis Hamilton joins him on the front row. Meanwhile, Antonelli starts third after Isack Hadjar’s five-place grid penalty drops the Red Bull driver to eighth.
It wasn’t a straightforward qualifying for Antonelli. Championship leader recovered from a deleted Q2 lap before finishing fourth in qualifying. George Russell, meanwhile, starts seventh. Mercedes showed strong pace in FP3 but struggled to match the front-running times when it mattered.
Ferrari have also put themselves firmly in the fight, with Hamilton starting P2 and Charles Leclerc promoted to fourth. McLaren will line up fifth and sixth, with Lando Norris ahead of Oscar Piastri.
There’s plenty more to watch further down the grid too. Colapinto and Lindblad are both carrying grid penalties after taking additional power unit components. Alpine driver starts 21st, while the Racing Bulls driver starts 22nd. This is creating some interesting opportunities for the drivers behind them.
With Sepang returning to the F1 calendar for the first time since 2017, the heat, humidity and threat of changing conditions could make this a very different race to anything we’ve seen so far this weekend.
Can Verstappen convert his first pole of the season into his first win? Can Hamilton challenge from the front row, and what can Antonelli do from P3? And with Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, and Red Bull all showing strong pace at different points this weekend, there is still plenty to play for over 56 laps.
Join us for live coverage of the 2026 Bahrain GP in Malaysia GP Sunday
Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain GP in Malaysia 2026 – GP Sunday
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