Hamilton Finds Ferrari’s Sweet Spot and Climbs to Second With a Late Ferrari Lap
Max Verstappen delivered the defining lap of the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix weekend in Malaysia, claiming his first pole position of the season at the Sepang International Circuit.
Lewis Hamilton, driving for Scuderia Ferrari, secured second place and a front-row start alongside his long-standing rival, in a qualifying session that marked Formula 1’s first visit to Sepang since 2017.
A Calendar Quirk: The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia
Readers may be surprised by the event’s name. For 2026, the Bahrain Grand Prix is being staged at Sepang rather than at its traditional home, the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
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The unusual arrangement has given Formula 1 a rare return to Malaysia, with high temperatures, frequent rain threats and a punishing track layout testing every team, driver and engineer in the paddock.
Verstappen Dominates Every Segment
Verstappen topped Q1, Q2 and Q3, a clean sweep that underlined Red Bull’s improving form. His pole-winning lap of 1:35.130 was his first pole since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December 2025, ending a drought of 302 days.
It was also the first pole of 2026 for a car without a Mercedes power unit, in a season in which every earlier pole had gone to a Mercedes-powered car.
Hamilton Finds Ferrari’s Sweet Spot
Hamilton’s second-place lap of 1:35.428 left him 0.298 seconds behind Verstappen, yet it marked a significant moment for Ferrari. After the first Q3 runs he sat third, behind Verstappen and Hadjar, but a late improvement carried him to the front row.
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He praised the perfect timing of his run, and it delivered his first front-row start since the Barcelona Grand Prix, a race he won.
How the Top Ten Lined Up
Hadjar qualified third for Red Bull, 0.428 seconds off pole, followed by Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, who leads the drivers’ championship, 0.501 seconds back. Charles Leclerc was fifth for Ferrari, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri of McLaren sixth and seventh.
George Russell took eighth, while Pierre Gasly and Gabriel Bortoleto completed the Q3 field.
Mercedes Struggles Despite Upgrades
Mercedes arrived with upgrades but endured its weakest qualifying of the year. Antonelli, fourth on the road, was half a second behind Verstappen after a Q2 track limits penalty cost him a set of tyres and left him running out of sync with an earlier final lap.
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Russell could manage only eighth, 0.741 seconds off pole, leaving the two Mercedes cars separated by four positions.
Grid Penalties Reshape the Order
Qualifying order and starting order differ. Hadjar serves a five-place penalty for fitting a seventh internal combustion engine of the season, dropping him from third to eighth on the grid.
Alpine’s Franco Colapinto carries a combined 15-place penalty, and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad starts from the back after fresh power unit components were fitted. Verstappen and Hamilton therefore keep the front row, with Antonelli promoted to third and Leclerc to fourth.
Friday’s Impeding Incident
Hamilton’s weekend had begun with controversy. During second practice on Friday, he moved onto the racing line approaching Turn 9 and forced Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto to take evasive action, with a speed differential of roughly 155 kilometres per hour.
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The stewards accepted that Hamilton’s right-hand mirror was damaged and that Ferrari had not warned him over the radio, and they noted Bortoleto was not on a push lap. They issued the standard practice penalty, a warning, and no grid penalty followed.
Ferrari, however, was fined €10,000 for failing to give its driver appropriate information when it knew his view of approaching traffic was materially impaired.
Key Facts at a Glance
Pole position: Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 1:35.130. Second: Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, 1:35.428, plus 0.298 seconds. Third in qualifying: Isack Hadjar, Red Bull, plus 0.428 seconds, dropping to eighth on the grid.
Venue: Sepang International Circuit, Selangor, Malaysia. Practice sanction: Hamilton warned, Ferrari fined €10,000. Race day: Sunday, 4 October 2026.
What to Watch in the Race
Sunday’s race gives Red Bull a genuine opportunity to claim its first victory of 2026. Verstappen and Hamilton also shared the front row when Formula 1 last raced at Sepang in 2017, adding historical symmetry to the contest.
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Heat, a demanding final sector and the threat of rain will test strategy as much as outright pace, while Hadjar’s recovery drive from eighth and Mercedes’ response to a difficult Saturday add further intrigue.
Conclusion
Verstappen’s pole ended a long wait, Hamilton’s second place restored Ferrari’s front-row presence, and the grid penalties have shaped a compelling order behind them.
With the Bortoleto matter settled without a grid penalty, Hamilton starts Sunday alongside a rival who has finally rediscovered his qualifying edge.
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Sepang’s return to the calendar has already delivered drama, and Sunday’s race promises even more excitement for fans worldwide.
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