Bahrain GP Starting Grid: Verstappen Claims His First Pole of the Year
Max Verstappen dominated qualifying at Sepang and will start the Bahrain GP from pole position, with Lewis Hamilton alongside him on the front row. Isack Hadjar qualified third but will drop to eighth due to a penalty.
Max Verstappen once again showed that Red Bull has taken a step forward. The Dutchman claimed his first pole position of the 2026 season after dominating all three qualifying sessions for the Bahrain Grand Prix, held this weekend at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
The four-time world champion set a time of 1:35.130, beating Lewis Hamilton by almost three tenths. The Ferrari driver secured second place and will share the front row with one of his biggest rivals from recent years.
Isack Hadjar completed an excellent qualifying session for Red Bull by finishing third, but the Frenchman will serve a five-place grid penalty following a power unit change, meaning he will start from eighth.
Antonelli Inherits Third Place
Hadjar's penalty directly benefits Kimi Antonelli. The championship leader had finished fourth in qualifying but will move up to third on the grid and share the second row with Charles Leclerc.
The two McLaren drivers will line up behind them. Lando Norris will start fifth and Oscar Piastri sixth, while George Russell will begin the race from seventh after a difficult session for Mercedes.
Hadjar will drop to eighth, while Pierre Gasly and Gabriel Bortoleto complete the top 10 on the starting grid.
Bahrain GP Starting Grid – Top 10
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull
- Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
- Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
- Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
- Lando Norris – McLaren
- Oscar Piastri – McLaren
- George Russell – Mercedes
- Isack Hadjar – Red Bull
- Pierre Gasly – Alpine
- Gabriel Bortoleto – Audi
Aston Martin Shows Signs of Improvement
Another notable story from the session came from Aston Martin. Both cars managed to advance beyond Q1, a positive sign following a difficult start to the season for the Silverstone-based team.
Fernando Alonso advanced to Q2 and finished 12th, while Lance Stroll qualified 14th. Although neither driver managed to break into the top 10, the result represents an improvement for a team that has struggled to find performance during the opening races of the championship.
All eyes will now be on Verstappen, who will have his first opportunity to turn Red Bull's best qualifying result of 2026 into his first victory of the season.
Verstappen Will Start From Pole at Sepang
- Max Verstappen claimed his first pole of 2026 and will start ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
- Isack Hadjar qualified third, but a five-place grid penalty will drop him to eighth.
- Kimi Antonelli inherits third place, while the two McLaren drivers will start fifth and sixth.
