Max Verstappen claimed his first victory of the season with a commanding drive in a turbulent Bahrain Grand Prix staged in Malaysia, while Kimi Antonelli strengthened his grip on the championship after another setback for George Russell.
The Red Bull driver recovered from losing positions at the start to take control once conditions improved, eventually finishing ahead of Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton. Russell had been running third before a power unit problem forced him to retire with five laps remaining.
The result leaves Antonelli 84 points clear of his Mercedes team-mate with six or seven races still to be contested, significantly improving the Italian’s chances of securing his first Formula 1 world title.
Rain delay creates chaotic start
The race had already become highly unusual before it began. Torrential rain initially delayed the start by around 90 minutes before technical issues caused further confusion during formation laps behind the safety car. Several cars struggled at low speed, leaving the FIA to determine the correct starting order before racing could finally begin.
When the field was released, Antonelli and Russell made the strongest starts. Both Mercedes cars passed front-row starters Verstappen and Hamilton, moving into first and second.
Verstappen and the Mercedes pair had selected intermediate tyres for the wet surface, but Hamilton gambled on soft slicks. The Ferrari driver’s choice immediately proved costly as the circuit remained far too wet, sending him towards the rear of the field along with others who had started on dry-weather tyres.
Hamilton fell as low as 17th and was nearly a minute behind the leaders during the opening phase.
Verstappen takes control after safety car
Verstappen quickly began repairing the damage from his poor start. He overtook Russell for second on lap six and was closing on Antonelli when Valtteri Bottas spun his Cadillac off at Turn 13 on lap nine, triggering a safety car.
The neutralisation allowed the leading drivers to switch to slick tyres as the circuit dried.
Verstappen made his decisive move soon after the restart, passing Antonelli at Turn Four. Russell also found a way past the Mercedes rookie on the exit of the corner, briefly moving back into second.
From there, Verstappen steadily built a gap and controlled the race at the front.
Antonelli continued to show stronger pace than Russell and reclaimed second place with an overtake at Turn Four on lap 21. The order appeared settled until another safety car was required late in the race after Alex Albon’s Williams stopped on track.
Most of the field fitted fresh tyres for a final four-lap sprint, but Verstappen again controlled the restart and never came under serious pressure.
Russell retirement reshapes title battle
Russell’s race ended before the safety car period had even fully concluded. His Mercedes suffered a power unit failure and stopped shortly before Turn One, removing him from third place and dramatically changing the championship picture.
His retirement also caused problems further back. Lando Norris was forced into the gravel at Turn One while trying to avoid team-mate Oscar Piastri after being distracted by Russell’s stationary car. The McLaren driver dropped from eighth to 11th before recovering to finish ninth.
Russell’s retirement allowed Antonelli to leave the race with an 84-point championship advantage, putting the Italian in a much stronger position with the season entering its final stretch.
Hamilton charges back to the podium
Hamilton produced one of the most notable recoveries of the race after his disastrous tyre decision at the start.
Instead of pitting during the first safety car, he remained on the soft tyres he had started with. As the track dried, the strategy began to work and Hamilton steadily moved through the field.
By lap 24 he had reached the back of Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull, which was running fourth. Both drivers stopped on lap 31, with Hadjar remaining on softs while Hamilton switched to mediums because of tyre availability.
Hamilton spent several laps closely following Hadjar but was unable to complete a pass before the late safety car created another opportunity.
After changing back to soft tyres, Hamilton attacked immediately after the restart and passed Hadjar into Turn One to take third place and complete an unlikely podium comeback.
Charles Leclerc also overtook Hadjar in the closing stages to finish fourth.
Hadjar slipped to fifth, while Oscar Piastri completed a difficult weekend for McLaren in sixth. Liam Lawson finished seventh for Racing Bulls, ahead of Fernando Alonso, who scored points for Aston Martin for only the third time this season.
Norris recovered to ninth, with Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad completing the top 10.
Verstappen’s victory finally ended Red Bull’s winless start to the season, but the bigger championship consequence came behind him, where Russell’s retirement allowed Antonelli to leave Malaysia with a commanding advantage in the title race.