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Verstappen seizes first pole of the season for Bahrain GP
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen topped each segment of Qualifying at the Sepang International Circuit on his way to clinching pole position.
Max Verstappen made a long-awaited return to the top of the timesheets in Qualifying, beating Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar to take his first pole position of 2026 for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
After setting the pace through Q1 and Q2, Verstappen looked unbeatable and ultimately opened up an advantage of 0.298s over Hamilton, ending the session with a time of 1m 35.130s.
Red Bull came close to having the two fastest cars on the day before the Ferrari driver displaced Hadjar, who will receive a five-place grid penalty for the race. He also denied Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli a place in the top three during the final stage of Qualifying, with the Italian settling for P4 ahead of Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen claims pole at Grand Prix in Malaysia
Max Verstappen qualified fastest for Sunday's race. (Getty Images: Sona Maleterova)
Red Bull's Max Verstappen claimed his first pole position of the season at the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Saturday, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton joining him on the front row.
It is the first time two great rivals have shared the front row of the grid since the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2023.
Verstappen's teammate, Isack Hadjar, was third fastest but will start eighth due to a grid penalty, with championship leader Kimi Antonelli in third alongside Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Oscar Piastri was pipped to sixth by his teammate Lando Norris, but will move up a position as a result of Hadjar's penalty to start sixth as McLaren locked out the third row of the grid.
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‘Finally’: Max ends long F1 drought in quali statement as ‘not good’ error costs leader
Max Verstappen has sent a statement, dominating qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix to claim his first pole position of the season.
Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every practice, qualifying session and race in the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K.
Verstappen looked like the man to beat from the very start on Saturday and ended up topping all three qualifying sessions, finishing three tenths clear of second-placed Lewis Hamilton.
It marked Verstappen’s first pole since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last season.
“We have been trying many grands prix to get pole. Sometimes a bit closer than others but to finally get it, from where we started the season, pretty incredible.
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