Winners and losers from F1’s bug-ridden Bahrain GP in Malaysia

Outubro 4, 2026 lojamais44@gmail.com

On a day Formula 1 didn’t cover itself in glory with its complicated set of 2026 regulations, the Malaysia edition of the Bahrain Grand Prix still delivered an absorbing race with a few standout performers.

F1’s one-off event in Sepang was marred from the start by significant logistical issues affecting spectators. And while those improved as the weekend went on, the on-track spectacle was also not without a hitch as the season’s first wet-weather race was plagued by software issues. Such is life in F1 2026.

That’s a shame, because pound for pound Sepang is one of the best circuits gracing the calendar. But regardless of power unit gremlins, weather and safety cars, the right man and team still won, writing history with a first-every victory for a brand-new power unit manufacturer.

Winner: Max Verstappen, Red Bull

Max Verstappen has racked up a few special wins in his 10-year stint as a frontline contender, but there were a few reasons why number 72 – good lord – was extra special.

There was a feeling that last weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix was going to be Red Bull’s best opportunity to get off the mark this year, ahead of Mercedes much-anticipated car upgrade in Malaysia, only for Red Bull to do “a great job messing it up” as Verstappen had to settle for second.

But with Mercedes much less competitive than expected, it was really Red Bull’s own progress that stole the headlines, unleashing the real performance gains of its Azerbaijan upgrade on the swoops of Sepang, which the lower downforce Baku street circuit had perhaps kept under wraps.

Verstappen’s dominant pole-to-flag win in Malaysia wasn’t as straightforward as it really should have been, thanks to the FIA’s crippling software issues, the changing weather conditions and a safety car, but it ended the chance of him enduring a winless season.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Ashwith S Pai

October 4 was not just a momentous day for Verstappen, though. Verstappen’s 72th win was also the first for Red Bull Ford Powertrains as a power unit manufacturer. Coming after Verstappen extended his Red Bull contract until 2030, albeit with the usual exit clauses, the Malaysian weekend saw his faith in the project rewarded.

It is a feather in the cap of the 700-plus staff at the RBPT in Milton Keynes, its colleagues at Ford and also former Red Bull F1 chief Christian Horner, who was the driving force behind Red Bull spreading its wings as a bona fide manufacturer.

Loser: Mercedes

Mercedes’ visit to the home of its title sponsor Petronas can only be described as a huge disappointment. The performance of its upgraded W17 fell flat, perhaps because of the uniquely difficult conditions on the rough and hot Sepang tarmac, while the team appears to also have made its car more draggy on the straights as a logical result of the downforce increase.

“We don’t really know if it made us go faster or worse,” said Kimi Antonelli after finishing third. It is perfectly possible that Malaysia is a one-off, with next weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix perhaps offering more clues on the real potential of Mercedes’ newest spec.

What is harder for the team to accept is the latest reliability issue with its power unit as George Russell’s engine expired shortly before the end of the race, not only costing the Briton a podium but arresting the momentum of his Baku victory as his title chances further slip away.

Winner: Lewis Hamilton

Just a handful of laps into the race, Lewis Hamilton looked down and out as his team’s gamble for slicks on a wet but only slowly drying track didn’t pan out. “As we pulled out [of the pits], all the spray came out the back of Max’s car and I was like: ‘Okay, I’m done. My race is really in trouble.’

Falling over a pitstop behind in a matter of two laps, Hamilton felt he had no choice to commit to his soft tyres. But once slicks were the right tyre to be on, the seven-time world champion was rapid as he moved up the order, helped by a safety car reset to get rid of the medium tyres he wasn’t a big fan of.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images

“For us to get back to the podium, I never thought that that was going to be the case,” said Hamilton, though he pointed out his disagreement with the squad’s tyre gamble at the start would have to be discussed further. “I’m not going to go to the casino with the guys,” he jested.

Loser: McLaren

Mercedes isn’t the only team heading to Singapore in a state of confusion. McLaren’s outstanding pace on high downforce circuits like Budapest, Zandvoort or Madrid appears to have vanished despite the team having recently upgraded its car, too.

“The picture changed very rapidly,” Stella acknowledged as we quizzed him about his team’s regression. “We have to take a look at our own development. We don’t see any anomaly in our data. But we have to acknowledge that potentially some competitors have developed their car with bigger steps than we did. It’s a very specific condition here in Malaysia, so I think we should give ourselves more time.”

That general lack of competitiveness was compounded on Lando Norris’ side of the garage by recurring power unit issues which left the reigning world champion short on straight-line speed.

If anything, McLaren’s general lack of performance made the squad’s decision to start both cars on slicks less punishing. Oscar Piastri roughly finished where he deserved to be in sixth, with Norris set to shadow the Australian until he had to take avoiding action under the late safety car and dropped back a number of places.

Like Ferrari and others, Stella explained McLaren was caught out by how slowly the circuit was drying out despite the hot conditions. “On this kind of tarmac the intermediate tyres were getting damaged very, very rapidly and the dry tyres worked much more easily than pretty much every other circuit. But as a matter of fact, it took more laps than we thought.”

Winner: Racing Bulls

Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing, Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

Photo by: Joe Portlock / Getty Images

Racing Bulls made a tricky race look relatively straightforward. That’s what you get when you pair a quick car with solid driving and correct strategy calls as Liam Lawson proved the pick of the bunch in F1’s midfield.

Lawson is doing everything the squad can ask of him, but still isn’t guaranteed a drive for next year as the team nears a decision between the New Zealander and F2 star Nikola Tsolov. A weekend like Malaysia certainly won’t hurt his chances.

In the other car Arvid Lindblad also produced a commendable display as he overcame an engine penalty to take a final point, passing Nico Hulkenberg on the final lap of the race. “We definitely got the basics right today,” said team boss Alan Permane.

Loser: Audi

Several midfield teams endured a frustrating afternoon, including Haas and Williams. But perhaps none more so than Audi, which was on the cusp of a point until Hulkenberg got picked off by Lindblad on the final lap.

Actually, the German could have gone on to greater things if it hadn’t been for the safety car, which undid his correct timing to move to the slick tyres.

“Man, I was eating my steering wheel in that moment,” Hulkenberg recounted. “Seriously, that sucked. I was feeling brave and like a hero in that moment, and made it work quite well. I think we could have undercut a few people there, but unfortunately, the safety car had other plans.”

Gabriel Bortoleto also didn’t have the most auspicious of afternoons after taking out Carlos Sainz, netting him a 10-second penalty. Bortoleto initially blamed the Williams driver for not leaving him enough room, but swiftly changed his mind after watching the replay.

“It was a bit frustrating to be overtaking in the last lap again, because that’s two races consecutively where we’ve been done in the last lap,” racing director Allan McNish summed up. “And that’s a little bit frustrating.

Winner: Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

It has taken a particular set of circumstances for Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin to find their way into the points for a third time this season. But while the team’s Honda engine deficit was brutally exposed in Baku, a more balanced layout in Kuala Lumpur showcased the team’s strides on the chassis side.

No thanks to the team’s call to start on slicks, which necessitated the mid-race safety car to get Alonso back into the picture. But other than that error, which was made by over half of the grid, Aston grabbed its chance with aplomb. “There are not many weekends where we can score points and in those weekends we cannot have any mistakes,” Alonso said. “We cannot lose the opportunity, so we executed well today, so I’m happy for the team, for the points.

With what should be an even better Aston circuit coming up in the streets of Singapore, the Malaysia performance even gave the wily Spanish veteran a spring in his step again. “Yeah, absolutely. I think Singapore on paper is better than Malaysia, so it’s encouraging for next weekend. It’s going to be an exciting next five days, waiting for the first qualifying session.”