Max Verstappen achieved significant success in Malaysia, ending the season's drought of pole positions by outpacing Lewis Hamilton of the Ferrari team in a tense qualifying battle.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen continued to demonstrate dominant form for Red Bull, securing first place in the qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is held in Malaysia. The 29-year-old Dutch driver, currently ranked sixth in the drivers' standings, set the fastest lap of 1:35.130 in the final minute of the intense session at the Sepang International Circuit under high temperatures.
He overtook seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton from Ferrari by a margin of 0.298 seconds. Isak Hajar, also representing Red Bull, finished third, but faces a five-place grid penalty due to a fine imposed for installing new engine components exceeding the allowed limit.
Following them in the rankings were championship leader Kimi Antonelli from Mercedes, Charles Leclerc from the second Ferrari car, and world champion Lando Norris from McLaren. This will be the first time Verstappen starts from a front position since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last season.
Verstappen commented on the achievement: 'This is fantastic. We have been trying to get pole in many Grands Prix, so finally achieving it is quite incredible. I am happy with today and will try to win tomorrow.'
Meanwhile, Hamilton's pace on the final fast lap allowed him to secure the best starting position since his victory in Catalonia in June. The 41-year-old driver noted: 'The car felt great. We made many changes, and the execution was really precise. If we can maintain this pace, I hope we can achieve better results in the future.'
The Bahrain Grand Prix is being held in Malaysia due to violations in the Persian Gulf. The session began in conditions of high humidity, where Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman started for Haas. Verstappen set an early pace, posting a lap of 1:36.447, ahead of both Ferrari cars, which used medium-soft tires, while all other competitors chose soft tires.
With track temperatures in the mid-fifties degrees on the low-grip, high-tire-degradation circuit, drivers tried to keep their tires cool, reducing speed during the Q2 preparation laps. This strategy led to Verstappen receiving a black and white warning flag for 'unnecessarily slow' driving. However, the situation changed when he accelerated and posted 1:35.696 to take first place.
Kimi Antonelli exceeded the track limits, and his first lap was disqualified, costing him a set of soft tires and requiring a re-run for the timed lap. Antonelli himself noted: 'It's frustrating because of a mistake. I think it will be interesting. Max still has some pace advantage, and Ferrari looked quite strong, so it will be tight, and the 'degradation' will be huge.'
The Q3 round started with Russell taking the lead, but Verstappen snatched the top spot again, posting 1:35.250 on his first run, ahead of teammate Hajar and Hamilton. Then Antonelli's single lap on the remaining set of soft tires propelled him to third place. The other drivers completed their final runs while Verstappen improved his time, and Hamilton advanced to second place, joining him in the front pair in a dramatic final minute.