Sepang:Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing clinched his first victory of the Formula 1 season at the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix held at the Sepang International Circuit, following a rain-affected race filled with dramatic developments.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the race was delayed by 93 minutes due to heavy rain, with the formation lap starting at 3.40 pm. However, the race was immediately red-flagged as several drivers struggled with the challenging conditions. Among those affected was Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, who faced a software issue that saw him overtaken by multiple cars.

Once the race resumed, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team's Kimi Antonelli surged from third on the grid to take the lead, overtaking pole-sitter Verstappen. Antonelli's teammate, George Russell, also made a strong start, moving from seventh to second before Verstappen regained his position on the sixth lap.

Hamilton, who began the race in second position, fell to 10th place but managed to climb back to fifth by the 33rd lap. The race saw two Safety Car deployments, first due to Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas spinning off and then after Williams' Alex Albon encountered a gearbox issue. Russell experienced a power unit failure near the pit exit with five laps remaining.

Despite these challenges, Verstappen maintained his lead, securing victory and preventing Antonelli from achieving his ninth win of the season. Hamilton overtook Red Bull Racing's Isack Hadjar on Lap 53 to finish in third place.

The Sepang International Circuit, which previously hosted the Malaysian GP from 1999 until 2017, proved once again to be a venue for memorable F1 drama as Formula 1 confirmed Malaysia as the host of the Bahrain GP for 2026. This came after an agreement involving Formula 1, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), and the governments of Malaysia and Bahrain, following the race's earlier cancellation due to geopolitical tensions in West Asia.