SEPANG – Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen took pole position for the Formula 1 (F1) Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix (GP) in Malaysia 2026 at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) here today.
The four-time world champion blazed the iconic Malaysian circuit track as he topped qualifying with a time of 1 minute 35.130 seconds (s) in fine weather conditions.
Today’s result put the 29-year-old Dutchman on course to continue back-to-back domination in SIC as he won the last Malaysian GP in 2017.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari will start alongside Verstappen on the front row after clocking 1:35.428s.
Meanwhile, Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing teammate Isack Hadjar secured third place with a time of 1:35.558s.
Current drivers’ championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team will start fourth after clocking 1:35.631s, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified fifth with 1:35.666s.
Reigning world champion Lando Norris of McLaren took sixth spot with 1:35.757s, followed by teammate Oscar Piastri in seventh with 1:35.762s.
It was a tough outing for Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team’s George Russell, with the 28-year-old qualifying eighth after posting 1:35.871s.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly secured ninth place with 1:36.410s, while Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto of Audi completed the top 10 with 1:36.814s.
The Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain GP in Malaysia 2026 race will start at 3 pm tomorrow.
In July, Formula 1 confirmed Malaysia as the host of the Gulf Air Bahrain GP from Oct 2 to 4, following an agreement between Formula 1, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and the governments of Malaysia and Bahrain.
The agreement keeps the Bahrain GP on the 2026 F1 calendar after the race was cancelled earlier this season due to geopolitical tensions in West Asia.
Malaysia previously hosted the Malaysian GP at SIC from 1999 to 2017 before the race was dropped from the F1 calendar. – October 3, 2026