Max Verstappen brands F1 power units "LEGO" after Bahrain GP glitch

Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, his first victory of the 2026 season and 72nd career win. The Red Bull driver took the win at Sepang International Circuit, a circuit he last won at in 2017. According to Motorsport.com, Verstappen criticised Formula 1's engine regulations, comparing the complex power units to LEGO after software issues caused widespread power loss.

The race was delayed by over 90 minutes due to heavy rain and confusion over the grid order. It was rescheduled from April and moved to Malaysia because of the conflict in the Middle East. The National Business and The National UAE reported that Kimi Antonelli finished second, extending his lead over teammate George Russell to 84 points after Russell suffered an engine failure with five laps to go.

Verstappen's win marked Red Bull's first victory with their own power train. The Citizen reported that he finished 2.307 seconds ahead of Antonelli, with Lewis Hamilton taking third. The race featured two safety cars, following the retirements of Valtteri Bottas and Alex Albon. Verstappen was the last driver to win in Sepang in 2017 before it was taken off the calendar.

Brief written by urgent.news from Motorsport.com, The National Business, The National UAE, The Citizen, Gulf News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.