Verstappen takluk Sepang selepas 9 tahun

Max Verstappen claimed his maiden victory of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix in heavy rain, continuing his dominance since Formula One last raced at the Sepang circuit nine years ago. The Red Bull driver passed the checkered flag ahead of his nearest rival, Kimi Antonelli, while Lewis Hamilton secured third place after overtaking Isack Hadjar in the final laps.

Verstappen's win marked his first podium finish of the year, following a win at the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2017. The nine-year gap between his victories matches the record of Nigel Mansell at Kyalami, when the British driver won the South African Grand Prix in 1985 and repeated it seven years later when F1 returned to the track in 1992.

However, Verstappen's win came after heavy rain caused chaos at the start of the race. The rain forced race officials to delay the start by three minutes, while marshals and track crews worked tirelessly to clear the water around the track. Nevertheless, the situation was far from over once the cars finally took to the track. Hamilton retired from the formation lap as his Ferrari engine lost power, forcing him to carry out a pit stop to reset the engine, costing him seven laps.

Verstappen also faced technical issues, while Hadjar experienced aquaplaning and spun off track during the chaotic formation lap. The failure to start from the original grid created a precarious situation as cars were scattered throughout the group, rather than at the front. Race Control eventually restored the correct order before the race began more than 90 minutes later.

By the time the field began, Verstappen slipped to second place, but he quickly regained the lead to win the race. Kimi Antonelli finished second, widening his gap at the top of the championship table. Hamilton, who started in the second-to-last starting position, clawed his way back to finish in third place after a remarkable last-lap move to overtake Hadjar.

George Russell of Mercedes was disappointed by his performance. The young British driver was locked in a tight battle for the front row before a power unit problem forced him to retire from the race with around five laps remaining. The race marked the return of F1 to Sepang for the first time since 2017, when the circuit was chosen as the venue for a relocation of the Bahrain Gulf Air Grand Prix.

The event drew an estimated 261,000 spectators, with 561 Formula 1 marshals and officials from Bahrain flown to Malaysia for the weekend.