Verstappen takluk Sepang selepas 9 tahun

Max Verstappen claimed his first victory of the season in the Bahrain Grand Prix, continuing his reign since Formula One last visited the Sepang circuit nine years ago. The Red Bull driver crossed the finish line ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, while Lewis Hamilton settled for third place after overtaking Isak Hadjar in the final laps.

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

However, Verstappen's win came after heavy rain caused chaos at the start of the race. Rain forced organizers to delay the start by three hours, while marshals and track crews worked to clear water from around the circuit. However, the real trouble was far from over. Hamilton retired from the race after his Ferrari suffered a power unit failure, forcing him to perform a pit stop to reset the engine, allowing Verstappen to finish almost alone at the circuit.

Verstappen also faced technical issues, while Hadjar experienced aquaplaning and ended up in the gravel during the chaotic formation lap. The failure to start the race as planned led to a situation where the cars were in the wrong positions, with the safety car at one point trapped in the middle of the field. Race Control eventually restored the original grid, before the race began over 90 minutes later.

As soon as the competition started, Verstappen lost his lead in the early stages but fought back to regain the top position before widening his gap at the front. Raikkonen remained the closest challenger, taking second place, strengthening his lead at the top of the driver standings. Hamilton, who started from the front row alongside Verstappen, fought his way back to the podium after a rare early race incident, overtaking Hadjar with less than three laps remaining to secure the third place.

However, George Russell from Mercedes felt disappointed. The German driver struggled with his power unit and had to retire from the race during the final five laps. The race marked F1's return to Sepang since 2017, when the track was chosen as the temporary host for the Bahrain Gulf Air Grand Prix. The event reportedly drew 261,000 spectators, along with 561 Formula One and motorsport officials from Bahrain who were flown to Malaysia.