Verstappen wins chaotic Bahrain GP; Hamilton podium recovery — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Max Verstappen won his first race of 2026 with a dominant display at the Bahrain GP (held at Sepang, Malaysia), taking pole and controlling a difficult race after losing places to both Mercedes drivers at the start
- Lewis Hamilton recovered from 18th to 3rd after Ferrari's slick-tyre gamble backfired, passing Isack Hadjar after the final safety car for one of his best drives of the season
- Kimi Antonelli finished 2nd, extending his championship lead to 84 points over Mercedes teammate George Russell after Baku was 'just a blip'
- George Russell retired from 3rd place with a power-unit failure with five laps remaining while running inside the top three for virtually the entire race
- Charles Leclerc recovered to 4th after suffering the same early slick-tyre nightmare as Hamilton, ensuring Ferrari salvaged a strong result from a disastrous-looking strategy
- Pierre Gasly nearly lost his car on slicks during the formation procedure and fell all the way to 16th as Alpine's gamble failed to pay off
- Valtteri Bottas spun into the gravel on lap 9, triggering the first safety car of a chaotic race in which slick-tyre strategies repeatedly misfired
Why it matters: Antonelli's 84-point championship lead survived Russell's likely podium (lost to a power-unit failure with five laps left), reinforcing Mercedes' grip on the 2026 title race even as Verstappen finally broke through for his first win. The slick-tyre gamble that buried both Ferraris before they charged back exposes how badly timed strategy calls — not pace — are still shaping results.
Ask SkimNews
