Dominant Verstappen & superb Hamilton recovery - driver ratings — SkimNews
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- Max Verstappen won his first race of the 2026 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix held in Sepang, Malaysia, earning a 9.5/10 rating after dominating qualifying for his first pole despite losing positions to both Mercedes drivers at the start.
- Lewis Hamilton recovered from 18th to third place after Ferrari's decision to start him on slick tires, passing Isack Hadjar after the final safety car to complete a 9.5/10-rated drive and a podium finish.
- Kimi Antonelli finished second and extended his championship lead to 84 points over Mercedes teammate George Russell, who retired from third place with a power unit failure while heading for another podium with five laps remaining.
- Charles Leclerc also suffered from Ferrari's slick-tire strategy gamble but recovered impressively to fourth, earning 8.5/10 and ensuring the team salvaged a strong result.
- Lando Norris dropped to ninth after losing control behind the safety car and running through the gravel, earning 5.5/10 and finishing behind McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri (7.5/10).
- Valtteri Bottas triggered the first safety car by spinning into the gravel on lap nine after admitting his own decision to run slicks was a risk, earning the weekend's lowest rating of 3.5/10.
Why it matters: The result reshapes the championship picture — Antonelli's 84-point lead now looks commanding, but Russell's late power-unit retirement while running third handed Mercedes a costly double blow, costing them a likely 1-2 finish and exposing reliability concerns at the team heading into the next round.
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