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Verstappen takes his first pole position of the year at F1's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia
Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton by 0.298 seconds for his first pole of 2026, while Isack Hadjar will drop five places for a grid penalty.
- On Saturday, October 3, 2026, Max Verstappen claimed pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit with a 1:35.130 lap, securing his first pole of the 2026 season and the first non-Mercedes-powered pole of the year.
- Organizers relocated the Bahrain Grand Prix to Sepang due to conflict in the Middle East, marking the circuit's return to Formula 1 after a nine-year hiatus as a one-off replacement event.
- Lewis Hamilton secured a front-row start alongside Verstappen, while Red Bull's Isack Hadjar qualifies third but faces a five-place grid penalty for engine component changes, promoting championship leader Kimi Antonelli to third on the grid.
- Franco Colapinto faces a 15-place grid penalty and Arvid Lindblad will start from the back due to engine component changes, fundamentally reshuffling the midfield and creating opportunities for competitors further up the order.
- Extreme heat at Sepang poses thermal management challenges for all teams on the high-degradation circuit. With Antonelli leading the championship by 66 points, Sunday's race becomes a critical test for title contenders.
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Max Verstappen is driving in his own league in Malaysia. In Sepang he takes his first pole position in this Formula One year. Kimi Antonelli beats his World Cup champion.
Max Verstappen will start first at the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is being held in Malaysia. This is the first pole position of the year for the Dutch Formula 1 driver. The post Verstappen took pole position in Malaysia (pic) appeared first on in.gr.
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·Tallinn, Estonia
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Leaning Left22Leaning Right21Center31Last UpdatedBias Distribution42% Center
Bias Distribution
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42% Center
L 30%
C 42%
R 28%
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