Kimi Antonelli led the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at 5:05 p.m. Malaysian time, with Max Verstappen chasing as Sepang dried after a 90-minute delay, according to Crash.net.
Antonelli arrived in Malaysia 66 points clear of Mercedes teammate George Russell, while Verstappen chases his first victory since last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, according to Crash.net‘s live coverage.
Lights went out around 4:40 p.m. local time, more than an hour and a half after the scheduled 3 p.m. start. Race control had reset the start for 4:33 p.m. local time, or 4:33 a.m. EDT, according to Malay Mail.
| FORMULA ONE — BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Race • Based on qualifying classification, post-qualifying grid penalties applied | ||||
| Grid | Driver | Team | Qualifying Time | Grid Penalty |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:35.130 | — |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:35.428 | — |
| 3 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:35.631 | — |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:35.666 | — |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:35.757 | — |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:35.762 | — |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:35.871 | — |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:35.558 | ▼ 5 |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:37.210 | — |
| 10 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:37.673 | — |
| 11 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:37.023 | — |
| 12 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:37.220 | — |
| 13 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:37.527 | — |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:37.566 | — |
| 15 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | 1:37.970 | — |
| 16 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:37.980 | — |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:38.233 | — |
| 18 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:38.600 | — |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:38.611 | — |
| 20 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac | 1:38.933 | — |
| 21 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:37.179 | ▼ 6 |
| 22 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:37.883 | ▼ 6 |
| ▼ = post-qualifying grid penalty (places dropped). Qualifying times are as shown on the source graphic; Hadjar, Colapinto and Lindblad start behind their qualifying positions due to penalties. Source: kerbside.racing. | ||||
Why the Bahrain Grand Prix Start Was Delayed
The storm cell was forecast to clear, and the track dried quickly in Malaysia’s heat, turning the race into a slick-tire contest, according to Crash.net‘s delay coverage.
Officials weighed a shortened-race points rule and a daylight cutoff, but judged enough time remained for the full distance if conditions held, according to GrandPrix.com‘s race notes. Verstappen sat within a second of Antonelli before the stops.
Fresh showers are still in play. Verstappen has warned that new storm cells can form quickly at Sepang, according to BBC Sport‘s live coverage.
This is the first properly wet race under the 2026 power-unit rules, and drivers entered it with little wet running, according to GrandPrix.com‘s race notes. Russell, Antonelli’s championship rival, ran third at last check, with the 66-point title gap on the line.
Sepang hosts the race under the Bahrain Grand Prix name, a switch from April’s planned Sakhir date forced by the war in Iran, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Rain began roughly 45 minutes before the original lights-out and grew into a thunderstorm with lightning. The FIA medical car reported a “significant amount of standing water,” according to ESPN UK’s report. Race control postponed the start with no new time set.
A revised procedure sent the field out behind the safety car at about 3:40 p.m. local time. It collapsed within minutes. Verstappen slowed sharply at Turn 13 and Hamilton crawled, briefly stopping, as other cars bogged down behind them. Hamilton told his Ferrari team he was pressing the throttle and nothing was happening, according to RaceFans editor Keith Collantine.
“There may have been something, a sort of software issue of some kind that was behind some of the difficulties we saw earlier,” Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord said, as quoted by RaceFans. The FIA sent teams updated parameters to load, and the original grid order stood.
Kimi Antonelli Leads as Sepang Track Dries
Antonelli took the lead into Turn 1 and Verstappen later passed Russell for second, according to Crash.net. Hamilton, who stayed out on soft tires, dropped from second on the grid to 15th on the opening lap.
Valtteri Bottas beached his Cadillac in the gravel, bringing out the safety car, according to ESPN‘s live race classification. The leaders pitted for slicks under it, and Antonelli still held the lead over Verstappen and Russell around 2 a.m. PT, according to Crash.net. Hamilton, who gambled on slicks early, lost further places to drivers who had switched, according to Crash.net.
Why is the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia Delayed Today?