The weekend was all about tyre management. In 35-degree heat and energy-sapping humidity, Kimi Antonelli looked most comfortable, topping FP3 for Mercedes. Max Verstappen was close behind, showing Red Bull had finally found pace after a tough start to 2026. Lewis Hamilton was less happy, fighting overheating rear tyres and admitting Ferrari "kept sliding." Lando Norris was blunt: the car "just isn't good enough around here."
Qualifying changed the picture. Verstappen delivered a lap of 1:35.130 to take his first pole of the season and Red Bull's first pole this year that wasn't Mercedes-powered. It was also his second pole at Sepang after winning the last Malaysian GP here in 2017.
Hamilton recovered to join him on the front row, calling his final setup change the "sweet spot." Isack Hadjar qualified third fastest but was hit with a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his engine allowance, dropping to P8. That promoted championship leader Antonelli to P3 alongside Charles Leclerc.
Further back, penalties shuffled the order. Franco Colapinto took 15 places for a new power unit and his Baku collision, while Arvid Lindblad started last after a 30-place drop for multiple PU components.
Race day was chaos. A tropical downpour delayed the start by over 90 minutes, with marshals sweeping standing water off the circuit. Even the formation laps behind the safety car were messy Hamilton briefly stopped with a loss of acceleration, Hadjar aquaplaned into the gravel, and Verstappen reported a technical glitch.
When the lights finally went out, Verstappen controlled it. A late Virtual Safety Car for Alex Albon's gearbox failure bunched the field, then heartbreak for Mercedes as George Russell retired from P3 with a power unit failure with five laps to go. Norris also slid off while trying to avoid the slowing pack.
Verstappen crossed the line to take his first victory of 2026, Antonelli came home second to extend his championship lead, and Hamilton fought back to third his seventh podium at Sepang.
Category: Sports
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