SEPANG, Oct 4 — Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen was delighted to emerge victorious after a difficult start at the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026 at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) here today.
The Dutchman described it as “very hectic” before eventually fighting his way back to take the chequered flag.
“Yeah, it was very hectic at the start. No power and need to wait for the power to kick in.
“But then, we made the right call and step-by-step we moved our way forward and did our own race until the end again,” he said after the race.
He said the victory was particularly satisfying after the challenges Red Bull had faced this season and the progress the team had made.
“It’s a really nice one, you know, after the year that we’ve had and the progression that we’ve made. So, yeah, I’m incredibly proud of everyone and it’s just super nice to win here,” he said.
Verstappen completed the 55-lap race in one hour, 47 minutes and 14.808 seconds, finishing 2.307s ahead of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team’s Kimi Antonelli, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton completed the podium, 4.919s behind the winner.
