Formula One Gradebook: Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia
The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix was hosted at the Sepang International Circuit due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, with Formula One returning to Malaysia for the first time since 2017. Round 16 of this championship was the first chance for teams and drivers to see this new generation of cars in action in the rain.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen stormed ahead of the rest of the field to take his and the team’s first race win of the season. Having qualified on pole for the first time since the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Dutch driver had to fight for the win in the initial stages of the race but was unchallenged after re-taking the lead.
Elsewhere on the grid, there was on-track action between all drivers as they adapted to a range of strategies due to mixed weather conditions.
Here’s how all 22 drivers performed on race day.
Mercedes
George Russell: A-
The British driver started the Grand Prix in seventh with Mercedes opting to have both their drivers start the race on the intermediate tyres. Having made an excellent start, Russell found himself in second and behind his teammate after the opening laps where he briefly challenged for the race lead.
After the first Safety Car, Russell struggled to hold off the Red Bull behind who was on the faster tyre and was eventually passed. Soon after that, Russell was passed by his teammate yet again. Russell’s pace was decent, however the British driver’s race came to an untimely end five laps before the chequered flag due to yet another power unit issue.
Kimi Antonelli: A
The current championship leader began the race in third, having been promoted due to the penalty applied to Isack Hadjar, on intermediate tyres. When the five lights went out, Antonelli caught the two drivers ahead with ease and moved into the lead of the race.
However, like his teammate, he struggled to keep the faster Red Bull behind after the Safety Car and the first round of pit stops. During his second stint, Antonelli briefly battled with his teammate for track position but ultimately, as has been the case on many occasions so far in 2026, the Italian came out ahead.
During the closing stages of the race, it looked as though Antonelli would have to defend his second place from the Ferrari behind but that challenge ultimately amounted to nothing. In the end, the Italian crossed the line in second and extended his championship lead to 84 points.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc: A
Having started in fourth on slick tyres, Charles Leclerc’s race was made all the more difficult after opening lap contact with an Audi in which he sustained significant front-wing damage. Coming into the pits at the end of the first lap, the Monégasque driver took the opportunity to swap onto the intermediate tyres however he came out in last place.
Having stopped under Safety Car conditions on both occasions, Leclerc made good progress to find his way back up the field. In the closing stages of the race, Leclerc followed his teammate’s lead and passed the Red Bull ahead to finish off a great outing for the team. After an impressive fight back to the front from last place, Leclerc finished in fourth.
Lewis Hamilton: A
Lewis Hamilton started the Grand Prix in second and unlike his teammate, remained on the slick tyres for the race start and his first stint. Although he dropped down the order, finding himself in 17th at one stage, eventually the seven-time world champion unlocked performance in the slick tyres and began to fight his way back into the points.
Under Safety Car conditions, Hamilton made two pit-stops and on his final stop for soft tyres, the British driver found his best pace of the race. Utilising the tyre for maximum performance, Hamilton passed the Red Bull ahead with ease to take the final podium position where he crossed the line to complete a remarkable recovery drive.
McLaren
Lando Norris: B-
The reigning world champion started the Grand Prix in fifth and like the Ferrari pair, Lando Norris also started the race on slick tyres. Following the same fortunes as Hamilton, the British driver fell down the order and continued to struggle on the damp track conditions which provided little grip.
After swapping tyres under Safety Car conditions twice, Norris found pace in his MCL39 and began to move back up the order.
Eventually, the British driver found his teammate who remained in the top 10 for a majority of the race however his hard-work was almost undone as Norris went off-track to take avoiding action against the other McLaren.
After dropping out of the points in the final few laps, Norris recovered up to ninth but was unable to pass the Aston Martin ahead.
Oscar Piastri: B+
The Australian who has struggled with his form in recent weekends started in sixth and like Norris, was also set to be on slick tyres however soon made the swap onto the intermediate tyres. As a result, Oscar Piastri remained within the top 10 on the race start and remained in the midst of the action at the front.
At the end of the second Safety Car, Piastri was running in the top 10 and set for a decent haul of points. In the end, the Australian crossed the line in sixth where he started.
Red Bull
Max Verstappen: A+
The Dutch driver started on pole, having become the fifth different pole-sitter of 2026 so far, however it was not all smooth sailing for the four-time former world champion. Verstappen lost the lead on the opening lap to the Mercedes pair despite being on the intermediate tyres which provided much better grip.
After swapping onto the soft compound tyres, Verstappen finally unlocked the race-winning pace in his Red Bull and took the lead from Antonelli with ease on Lap 13. From there, even with the pack being bunched together after the second Safety Car, the Dutch driver was able to hold off the cars behind to take his first Grand Prix victory of the season.
Isack Hadjar: B+
For his second weekend back after his injury which kept him sidelined for three weeks, Hadjar demonstrated considerable pace by qualifying in third but he dropped down to eighth after a penalty was applied.
While the action took place ahead and behind him, Hadjar had a relatively lonely race for a majority of the 55 laps around the circuit. After the second Safety Car, the French driver found himself struggling with power issues whilst trying to defend against Hamilton who ultimately passed him followed by Leclerc. In the end, despite having decent pace, Hadjar had to settle for fifth..
Haas
Ollie Bearman: B-
The British driver, having started the race in 16th, had little hope to make it into the points given the pace deficit they had to their other midfield contenders. With the Haas pit-wall opting to split strategies with Bearman on slick tyres, he had everything to do in order to try and turn things around in Sepang but despite his best efforts, Ollie Bearman was unable to make it into the top 10.
Esteban Ocon: B-
With little to separate the Haas pair, Esteban Ocon lined up in 17th behind Bearman for the start of the race. In an effort to maximise their chances, the Haas pit-wall decided to keep Ocon on the intermediate tyres for the opening lap which worked in his favour as he kept within touching distance of the top 10 for the opening phase of the race, but staying out during the second Safety Car proved to be the wrong decision as he finished 15th.
Racing Bulls
Arvid Lindblad: A+
After being given a penalty for utilising power unit components outside of his allocation, Arvid Lindblad started from the back of the grid. Following a similar strategy to the senior Red Bull team, Lindblad used the intermediate tyres to quickly make his way through the field after the five lights went out.
Having stopped twice, first for hard and then soft tyres, and dropping to 11th, it seemed unlikely that Lindblad’s efforts would be rewarded with points. However, Lindblad did end up coming home in the final points-scoring position after passing the Audi ahead in the final few laps of the Grand Prix as part of one of his best performances in his rookie season.
Liam Lawson: A
Racing Bulls used identical strategies for both of their drivers despite Liam Lawson’s starting position of 11th. With intermediate tyres for his first stint, the driver from New Zealand had an excellent initial getaway as he found himself battling with the likes of Hadjar and Verstappen in the top five.
Lawson used his pace to maintain his position as ‘best of the rest’ with a seventh place finish. This result was Racing Bulls’ sixth double-points finish of the 2026 season.
Audi
Gabriel Bortoleto: C
The Brazilian driver started the race in 10th and like many of the other drivers on the grid, stuck with the slick tyres although soon realised the error of his ways. Having swapped onto the intermediate tyres, Gabriel Bortoleto was able to avoid tumbling down the order and seemed set for a successful result given the pace of the Audi.
However, Bortoleto’s chances were soon undone after contact between himself and a Williams which saw both cars sustain damage. After the incident was investigated by the stewards, the Brazilian was found to be at fault and given a 10-second time penalty for causing the collision. After serving his penalty, there was little chance of Bortoleto making his way back into the top 10 and he ultimately came home in 18th.
Nico Hülkenberg: B
Lining behind his teammate in 15th, Nico Hülkenberg followed the same strategy as Bortoleto ahead by starting the race on slick tyres and soon swapping onto the intermediates.
Despite the pace in the Audi on Sunday, Hülkenberg’s car was not able to contend with the faster cars behind including the likes of the Racing Bulls who overtook him in the closing stages of the race, and had to settle for 11th.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly: C
Following a disappointing result in Baku, there’s no doubt that the French team would have been hoping for a better result in Sepang, however, this was not to be. Gasly, who started in ninth, spun on his soft tyres on his way to the grid and the team opted not to put him onto the intermediate tyres for the duration of the race.
With four pit-stops to his name during the 55 laps of the race, it seemed as though Alpine were constantly trying to react to the action around them but ultimately this did little to improve Gasly’s overall race. On the track where he made his F1 debut in 2017, the French driver crossed the line in 16th after another disappointing weekend.
Franco Colapinto: C
Serving a grid penalty from the previous race weekend and an additional penalty for taking power unit components outside of his allocation, Franco Colapinto started at the back of the grid on slick tyres which he struggled to make progress on.
Colapinto had three pit stops as the team swapped him from the hard tyre to the medium and back. In the end, Colapinto crossed the line in 13th for Alpine’s fourth point-less weekend of the season so far.
Williams
Carlos Sainz: C
Starting in 13th, Carlos Sainz had an excellent getaway and managed to make it into the top seven on the intermediate tyres. Given the pace that the Spanish driver was showcasing in the early stages of the race, it seemed sure that Williams would be on for another points-finish.
However, before the end of the first stint, Sainz’s hard work was undone after a collision with Bortoleto which saw him sustain damage to his car and also drop down the order. Although Bortoleto was given a time penalty, the Spanish driver was unable to bring himself back into a rhythm and crossing the line in 17th was the best that he could manage.
Alex Albon: C-
Although qualifying did not go Alex Albon’s way with the Thai driver only managing to line up in 17th for the race, the opening lap was far more successful for the Williams driver. Using the grip from the intermediate tyres, Albon found himself running as high as the top seven in the first few laps.
Albon’s hard work was undone in the pit-lane after being hampered during his first pit-stop which caused him to drop down the order. Although the pace of the Williams gave some optimism, the Thai driver’s race was brought to an untimely end on Lap 43 after a suspected gearbox failure. This is Albon’s seventh technical DNF of the season.
Cadillac
Sergio Pérez: C-
In the opening laps, Sergio Pérez on the slicks encountered many of the front-runners who had dropped down the order, however was unable to battle with them for long.
Pérez had the highest number of pit-stops out of any of the drivers on the grid as he came into the pit lane on seven different occasions during the course of the race. Despite the number of swaps for tires, Cadillac were unable to put together the right strategy and the Mexican driver came home in 19th.
Valtteri Bottas: C-
The Finnish driver started the race in 19th ahead of his teammate, however, like on so many other occasions so far this season, Cadillac did not have the pace to fight the other teams. Despite Bottas’ best efforts, the pit wall’s choice to remain on the slick tyres meant that his struggles were amplified.
Bottas became the first retiree of the race on Lap 9 when the rear of Bottas’ Cadillac found a wet patch on the track and slid into the gravel. As a result, this was his seventh DNF of the season and Cadillac’s 11th DNF overall.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso: A
Although Fernando Alonso started the race in 12th and on slick tyres, the two-time former world champion made the best of the situation from the offset. Like Norris and Hamilton, Alonso dropped down the order due to track conditions, however soon came into the mix ahead as the track continued to dry.
Despite swapping onto the less optimal hard compound tyre under Safety Car conditions twice, Alonso continued to extract pace from his car. By keeping in the mix, the Spanish driver was in an excellent position to capitalise once he swapped onto the soft tyre. Keeping Norris at bay on the final laps of the race, Alonso protected his position and crossed the line in eighth for Aston Martin’s second points-finish of the season.
Lance Stroll: C+
Lining up for the Grand Prix in 14th, with both Aston Martins in Q2 for the first time this season, the team’s hopes were high as they expected their car to suit this circuit. Like Alonso, Lance Stroll too started the race on slick tyres which hindered his progress on the opening laps as he fell down the order. To avoid further issues, Stroll came into the pit-lane to swap onto the intermediate tyres not long after the race start.
Changing from the intermediates to the hard tyres did not help Stroll’s race pace and meant he dropped a few more positions. The Canadian driver, who finished a full race distance for the first time this season, came home in 12th for the team’s collective best result of the season so far.
Looking Ahead
For the final race of this triple header, F1 returns to the home of the original night race: Singapore. Hosting a sprint there for the first time, teams will only have a single hour of practice to prepare their drivers for one of the most testing tracks on the calendar.
Edited by Meghana Sree
Comments