Max Verstappen washes away frustrations with win at rain-soaked Bahrain Grand Prix
George Russell, who was still alive with an outside chance at catching his Mercedes teammate Antonelli for the drivers' title, saw those hopes take a blow due to an engine failure.
Max Verstappen ended his frustration by triumphing in the rain-soaked Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday. The four-time Formula 1 champion secured his maiden win of 2026 and his 72nd career victory after enduring a 1-hour, 33-minute delay at the start. Verstappen maintained his lead from the restart, outpacing current driver's standings leader Kimi Antonelli to claim the win by a margin of 2.3 seconds.
George Russell's hopes of challenging Antonelli for the drivers' title were dashed due to an engine failure with five laps remaining. The performance of the new cars in the wet conditions caused multiple delays during the race. Verstappen acknowledged the chaotic start, attributing his victory to the right decision of using intermediates.
Lewis Hamilton finished third after moving up from 18th place. Charles Leclerc came in fourth, while Isack Hadjar was fifth. Hadjar lost control during the formation lap, losing his car to the gravel. Verstappen and Hamilton reported engine issues at the beginning, leading to a cautious approach from the drivers.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
