Max Verstappen claimed his first pole position of the 2026 Formula 1 season after topping qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at the Sepang International Circuit.
The Red Bull driver produced a dominant performance, finishing the session with a fastest lap of 1 minute 35.130 seconds to secure the top spot. He was 0.298 seconds faster than Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
Verstappen was fastest in all three qualifying sessions and delivered another strong lap in Q3 to secure his 49th career pole position. The result also gives Red Bull its first pole of the season.
Hamilton secured second place after Ferrari made several setup changes during the weekend to address tyre degradation and improve the car’s balance in the hot and humid conditions at Sepang.
“I think we hit the sweet spot,” Hamilton said after qualifying, having closed the gap to Verstappen to less than three-tenths of a second.
Isack Hadjar qualified third in the second Red Bull but will drop five places on the starting grid because of a penalty for exceeding his seasonal engine allocation. That promotes championship leader Kimi Antonelli to third on the provisional grid.
Charles Leclerc qualified fifth, while McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completed the next two positions. Mercedes driver George Russell qualified eighth before Hadjar’s penalty is applied.
The qualifying result gives Verstappen a strong opportunity to fight for his first victory of the season. The Dutchman has also returned to a circuit where he previously won the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2017, the last time Formula 1 raced at Sepang before its return this year.
The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia is being held at Sepang because the original Bahrain event was moved amid the ongoing regional security situation. The race is scheduled for Sunday, with Verstappen and Hamilton set to start from the front row.