Max Verstappen flushed away at least some of his seasonlong frustrations Sunday (October 4, 2026) by winning the rain-delayed Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

The ​four-time Formula 1 drivers’ champion earned his first win of 2026 ‌and the 72nd of his decorated career when he waited ​out a 1-hour, 33-minute delay at the outset and ⁠then held off current drivers’ standings leader Kimi Antonelli at the finish.

George Russell, who was still alive with an outside chance at catching Mercedes AMG Motorsport ‌teammate Antonelli for the drivers’ title, saw those hopes take a blow due to an engine failure with ‌five laps remaining.

After a season in which Verstappen struggled to ‌adapt ⁠to changes to F1 cars, the rest of the ⁠field was able to feel his pain for a day. Those new cars struggled to operate in the wet conditions, leading to an initial 40-minute delay at the ​start and then another ‌53-minute delay when software issues plagued some cars, including Verstappen’s.

“It was very hectic with a lot of different things in the start,” Verstappen said. “No power, so you have to wait for the ‌power to kick in. But then we made the right ​call with the intermediates, and after that, step by step, we moved our way forward.”

When the race finally ⁠started, Verstappen dropped from his position on the pole into third place before passing Antonelli on Lap 13, and went on to win from ‌there, finishing 2.3 seconds ahead of the standings leader. Lewis Hamilton was third after rallying from 18th place.

“It’s a really nice one, after the year that we’ve had and the progression that we’ve made,” Verstappen said. “I’m incredibly proud of everyone, and it’s just super nice to win here.”

Charles Leclerc finished fourth, while Isack Hadjar ‌was fifth.

Hadjar was one of the first drivers to be impacted by ​the early conditions when he lost control on Turn 2 of the formation lap and was forced into the gravel. ⁠Verstappen and Hamilton then reported engine issues.

A red flag was issued ⁠as drivers took a more cautious approach than usual in the early going.

Russell’s issues arrived after Alexander Albon saw ‌his car stall. With the safety car on the track on Lap 43, Russell came to a stop just before heading into ​Turn 1.

Verstappen maintained his lead on the restart and went on to the victory.

Max Verstappen signed a contract extension with ​Red Bull to the end of 2030 on Thursday (August 20, 2026), ⁠ending speculation about the four-time world champion’s near-term Formula One future.

The 28-year-old already had a contract to the end of 2028, but with break clauses offering ‌a potential way out should the team fail to meet his expectations and provide a winning car.

Such performance-related clauses ‌were believed to have been triggered this season, according to ‌Dutch ⁠media reports.

Red Bull lie fourth overall this season, and ⁠Verstappen sixth, 110 points behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, after 11 races and ahead of his home grand prix this weekend.

Linked to Mercedes and McLaren

The Dutch driver had ​been linked in media reports ‌to both McLaren, who have signed his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase from 2028 at the latest, and championship leaders Mercedes.

“I am really pleased with the contract extension,” Verstappen, who joined Red Bull’s ‌junior programme in 2014 and has won all his titles ​with the team, said in a team statement.

“We have the best people and I’m excited to keep working together ⁠with everyone to get back to the top again. This remains the ultimate goal that all of us have been working towards and ‌will continue to pursue.”

“I have always said it: The team is like a second family for me and I feel very at home… to continue this journey with the same Team that I have been with my whole career is really special and something I have always wanted to do.”

Team boss Laurent Mekies said very few ‌partnerships in sport had achieved what Verstappen and Red Bull had, and the ​extension was rooted in trust.

“Since the very beginning, Max has embodied everything that makes Oracle Red Bull Racing special: ⁠uncompromising competitiveness, relentless determination and the courage to challenge convention,” said the ⁠Frenchman.

“His impact on our team and on Red Bull’s motorsport story has been transformational, and he has been fundamental to ‌everything we have accomplished together.

“But we are not done yet. There are more races to win, more milestones to achieve and ​more history to write.”

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen heads into his Red Bull team’s home Austrian Grand Prix this weekend boosted by a major upgrade package and seeking his first win of the season and a record-extending fifth win at the event.

Without a victory since the season-ending Abu Dhabi race last year, the Dutchman is keen not only to re-establish his credentials as a title contender but also to see Red Bull overcome performance problems that have hit them this term.

Success in both ventures might also persuade him to confirm his long-term future with the team by signing a new contract.

Verstappen won the Austrian race in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023 and also triumphed in the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix, held at the Red Bull Ring track, during the pandemic. No other driver has more than one Austrian win.

“Austria is a home race for the team and it’s been great for me in the past,” said Verstappen.

“We have good memories there. It’s an interesting challenge. All the corners are quite different so balance is really important.

“You need both high-speed and low-speed performance, good traction and to be on top of the car’s energy and power. We have a new package this weekend so I’m hoping we can be closer to where we want to be.”

The short, fast and scenic track, owned by Red Bull, in the Styrian Alps encourages close racing and could see another change of winner after Ferrari’s seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton ended Mercedes’ six-race streak of success with his first win for the scarlet Scuderia in Spain.

Five of those Mercedes’ victories came consecutively from Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli who sits atop the drivers’ championship with a 41-point advantage ahead of Hamilton.

Hamilton confirmed his resurgent form with a commanding drive in Catalunya to claim his record 106th career victory and, with four races in five weeks, has an opportunity to build a bid for his record eighth drivers’ title.

Antonelli suffered his first retirement in Spain and will be keen to overcome the expected tropical-heatwave conditions and his rivals to extend his lead.

Like Red Bull and Ferrari – who are bringing an important engine upgrade to bid for an historic 250th win in F1, Mercedes are also bringing an upgrade package to a track where George Russell won in 2024.

McLaren will also be a serious threat. Defending champion Lando Norris won from pole last year as the team claimed a record seventh win at the venue and they will be testing an experimental rear wing in Friday practice.

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Max Verstappen ordered a journalist to “get out” of a scheduled media session at Formula 1’s Japanese Grand Prix on Thursday (March 26, 2026) after objecting to a question he asked last year.

“I’m not speaking before he’s leaving,” Verstappen said, indicating reporter Giles Richards of British newspaper The Guardian, as the question-and-answer session was due to begin in Red Bull’s hospitality area.

Richards approached the table where Verstappen was sitting and tried to plead his case. Verstappen told him to “get out” and Richards left.

Verstappen indicated he objected to a question Richards asked in December after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Richards asked Verstappen whether losing out to Lando Norris by two points for the title might lead him to regret an incident earlier in the year when he collided with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix. That earned Verstappen a time penalty, which cost the Dutch driver valuable points.

“You forget all the other stuff that happened in my season. The only thing you mention is Barcelona. I knew that would come,” Verstappen answered.

“You’re giving me a stupid grin now. I don’t know. Yeah, it’s part of racing at the end. You live and learn. The championship is one of 24 rounds. I’ve also had a lot of early Christmas presents given to me in the second half, so you can also question that.”

Four-time champion Verstappen heads into Sunday’s race at Suzuka, the third of the season, after a difficult start to the year.

He and Red Bull have so far been unable to match the pace of leading team Mercedes, and Verstappen has made clear his dislike of F1’s new era of regulations, which place more emphasis on electrical power.

Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali has dismissed Max Verstappen‘s suggestion that new F1 regulations could influence the Dutch driver’s future in the sport.

The four-time champion has been a vocal critic of the sweeping changes to F1 regulations for 2026, calling the cars, which rely more on electrical power than before, “no fun” to drive and likening them to all-electric series Formula E “on steroids”.

Read | Mexico City Grand Prix: Verstappen says he needs others to retire to keep F1 hopes alive

In comments on an episode of the “Up to Speed” podcast released on Thursday (February 19, 2026), Verstappen also said the regulations wouldn’t help the “longevity” of his career.

“I met yesterday Max, because as you know Max is incredible and he has a way of saying something that could be sometimes interpreted in a certain way,” Domenicali told reporters during preseason testing in Bahrain on Thursday.

“I guarantee to you that Max wants (to) and does care about Formula 1 more than anyone else. He has a way of putting the point that he wants to say in a certain way, but we had a very constructive meeting.” Domenicali added: “My style is always to be very prudent and try to solve the things internally, as it should be, because we don’t have to highlight things that actually are not in the interest of the fan. And we know that Max will be part of the future of Formula 1, and of course it’s very important that we listen to him, and as we are listening to all the top drivers that are very important in this sport.” Verstappen made his F1 debut in 2015 at the age of 17, making him the youngest driver in the history of the sport, and has publicly mused over potential retirement before.

When he made his 200th career race start in 2024, Verstappen said he believed he was closer to the end of his career than the start. He’s known for his enthusiasm for other racing series and made his debut in endurance sportscar racing in Germany last year.

F1 testing: Verstappen says new car ‘not much fun to drive’ in Bahrain

In the podcast episode released Thursday, the 28-year-old Dutch driver was asked about how close he might be to retirement from F1.

“Definitely closer to the end, that’s for sure. Honestly, it’s a tough one. I would say of course the current regulations are not helping the longevity of my career in Formula 1, let’s say like that,” Verstappen said.

“I’m very happy with my career anyway already in Formula 1. I can easily leave it behind. I have a lot of other projects.” (AP) UNG

Norris, Piastri, Verstappen: Breaking down F1’s thrilling 2025 title battle

The 2025 Formula One season has delivered one of the most thrilling championship battles in over a decade. What looked like a straight McLaren shootout between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri took a dramatic turn after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where both drivers were disqualified for technical infringements.

That stunning twist, combined with Max Verstappen’s late-season surge and seven consecutive podiums, has transformed the fight into a genuine three-way showdown going into the final race at Abu Dhabi.

This episode of InFocus unpacks how the 2025 season shaped up into a captivating three-horse race, the team dynamics that defined McLaren’s back-to-back Constructors’ Championship, as well as a disappointing first year for Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari.

Guest: Rishikesh Ramachandran, former racer and journalist

Host: Reuben Joe Joseph

Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

Listen to more In Focus podcasts:

McLaren are right to let their drivers race freely for the Formula One title and Oscar Piastri would be labelled a number two if he accepted anything else, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen said on Thursday.

McLaren’s Lando Norris could secure the crown in Qatar on Sunday but has teammate Piastri and four-times world champion Verstappen chasing 24 points behind, with 58 still to be won.

Constructors’ champions McLaren have assured their drivers equal status and Verstappen, who is on an impressive run of form and stands to benefit if they take points off each other, said that decision was ‘perfect’.

“I think you can’t do a better job than allowing them to race,” the Dutch driver, whose current teammate Yuki Tsunoda is a clear number two, told reporters.

“Why would you suddenly now say that Oscar wouldn’t be allowed anymore to (race). If that was said to me, I would have not rocked up.

“If you’re a real winner and a racer, as a driver, then you go for it. I mean, even if you’re behind. What’s the point otherwise in turning up? Otherwise you can just easily label yourself as a number two driver. Which I think he doesn’t want to be.

“Hopefully we can make it a great battle until the end.”

Piastri earlier told reporters the subject of helping Norris to ensure McLaren’s title double had been discussed and dismissed.

“We’ve had a very brief discussion on it, and the answer is no,” said the Australian.

“I’m still equal on points with Max and I’ve got a decent shot of still winning it if things go my way so, yeah, that’s how we’ll play.”

Seven race wins each

Piastri and Norris have both won seven races this season and the pair have managed to remain on good terms, a rare occurrence in Formula One when there has been so much at stake.

“I think there’s still a chance, and it’s played out that way a couple of times before,” said the Australian, whose manager Mark Webber was involved in a four-way title battle in 2010 that ended up favouring Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, of his title hopes.

Vettel went into the final race of that season in Abu Dhabi third overall, 15 points off the lead and without having previously topped the standings.

The German had stated before the race that he would help Red Bull teammate Webber if necessary but ended up winning both race and title.

“I know it’s not impossible,” said Piastri, who could become the first Australian to take the title since Alan Jones in 1980. “Obviously I also know that it’s a bit of an outside shot.

“I can’t just rely on having a perfect final two weekends… I need other things to go my way, and I’m very aware of that.

“I’m just going to try and have the best weekends I can, which I try and do every weekend, and see what happens to everyone else.”

Ferrari and Mercedes, while not fighting for the drivers’ championship, are also in the battle for second place behind McLaren in the constructors’ standings and could take points from any one of the individual contenders.

“Regardless of what the championship picture looks like for others, everyone is going out there to try and fight for wins and podiums,” said Piastri.

“So I don’t expect anyone to make life easy.”