Bahrain GP Qualifying Results 2026: Full Classification from Sepang

Max Verstappen stormed to pole position for the 2026 Bahrain GP in Malaysia, producing a commanding final lap to put Red Bull Racing at the front of the field at Sepang.

Verstappen set a 1:35.130 in Q3 to finish 0.298 seconds clear of Lewis Hamilton for Ferrari, securing his first pole position of the 2026 season.

Isack Hadjar qualified an impressive third in the second Red Bull Racing, although his five-place grid penalty means he will drop down the order for Sunday’s race.

That promotes championship leader Kimi Antonelli onto the second row after he qualified fourth for Mercedes, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.

2026 Bahrain GP qualifying results

Verstappen delivers when it matters as Hamilton takes front row

Verstappen had looked like a serious pole contender throughout the weekend, topping FP1 and remaining firmly in the fight despite not always showing his full potential on the soft tyre.

He immediately established himself as the driver to beat in Q3, setting a 1:35.250 on his first run to open a sizeable advantage over Hadjar, Hamilton and the rest of the field.

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The four-time champion then found another tenth on his final attempt, lowering the benchmark to 1:35.130 and leaving none of his rivals able to mount a serious challenge.

Hamilton produced the closest response, finding significant time in the final minutes to jump onto the front row, but the Ferrari driver still finished almost three tenths away from pole.

Hadjar continued his impressive return from injury by taking third, 0.428s off his teammate, although his five-place grid penalty for a new internal combustion engine means he will not start from the second row.

That will move Antonelli up a position after the championship leader recovered from a difficult start to the weekend to qualify fourth.

Leclerc was just 0.035s behind the Mercedes in fifth, while Norris and Oscar Piastri were separated by only 0.005s in sixth and seventh for McLaren.

Russell struggles as Gasly and Bortoleto reach Q3

The biggest disappointment among the leading contenders was George Russell, who could manage only eighth for Mercedes.

After winning in Baku and arriving at Sepang with momentum behind him, Russell struggled to extract the same pace from the team’s major upgrade package as Antonelli and finished 0.741s away from Verstappen.

Pierre Gasly continued Alpine’s recent improvement by reaching Q3 and qualifying ninth, while Gabriel Bortoleto gave Audi a top-10 result in 10th.

Liam Lawson narrowly missed Q3 in 11th for Racing Bulls, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll.

Arvid Lindblad was classified 16th but is already set for a back-of-the-grid start after accumulating penalties for multiple new power unit components.

The opening phase also produced several surprises, with Nico Hulkenberg, Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon and Alexander Albon all eliminated in Q1.

With Hadjar dropping five places, Antonelli is set to start third behind Verstappen and Hamilton, giving the championship leader another opportunity to extend his advantage over Russell.

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