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Bahrain Grand Prix

Max Verstappen Takes First Pole of 2026 at Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia

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Max Verstappen took his first pole position of the 2026 Formula One season at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, setting a reported lap of 1:35.130. Lewis Hamilton qualified second for Ferrari. Isack Hadjar was third-fastest, but a five-place grid penalty was set to drop him to eighth and move championship leader Kimi Antonelli up to third.

Qualifying order and expected starting positions

Reuters, in a report republished by CNA on 3 October 2026, reported the qualifying result from Sepang, Malaysia. The qualifying order and the expected grid order differed because of Hadjar’s penalty.

Driver Team Qualifying result Expected starting position
Max Verstappen Red Bull Pole; 1:35.130 First
Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Second Second
Isack Hadjar Red Bull Third-fastest Eighth after a five-place grid penalty
Kimi Antonelli Not stated in the Reuters report Championship leader; qualifying position not stated Third after Hadjar’s penalty

The published account identifies Hadjar’s five-place penalty but does not include a steward-document citation. These are the positions expected before the race, not a confirmation of any later grid changes or the race result.

Why Verstappen’s pole stood out

The report framed Verstappen’s result as a return to the top after a difficult start to the season. It also described him as the first driver that season to put a car without a Mercedes engine on pole. That is a claim about the 2026 season at that point, not a statement about Mercedes’ broader record.

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Verstappen said: “But to finally get it from where we started the season, pretty incredible.”

Hamilton’s late improvement

Hamilton secured second late in the final qualifying session. Reuters reported that he had struggled with tyre degradation in practice and credited a final setup adjustment before qualifying with helping Ferrari find a better balance.

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Hamilton said: “We made one last change going into qualifying and I think we hit the sweet spot.”

Hadjar’s penalty and Antonelli’s grid move

Hadjar’s third-fastest qualifying time did not translate to a third-place start: the reported five-place penalty put him down to eighth. Antonelli, the championship leader, was consequently set to start third. Hadjar said: “But you know, from P8, I’m confident we can go through the field and come back for a good result.”

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Report and event naming

The event is identified in the report as the “Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia,” with qualifying at Sepang. The result and penalty details here come from Reuters’ report republished by CNA, rather than an official Formula One classification or steward document. CNA published the report on 3 October 2026: CNA.

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