Max Verstappen took his first pole position of the year by dominating qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang. Lewis Hamilton will join him on the front row after going second quickest in his Ferrari, celebrating over the radio as the result was confirmed.
Hadjar's penalty drops him to eighth
Isack Hadjar finished third on track, but the Frenchman will not keep that position. He must serve grid penalties for taking new engine parts beyond his annual allowance, including a new internal combustion engine that carries an automatic five-place grid penalty.
As a result, Hadjar will start eighth. Red Bull will still be pleased with his performance, and if he can reproduce his qualifying pace on Sunday, he may recover and fight for a podium.
Q1 and Q2 surprises
Ferrari came out for Q1 on medium tyres and showed strong pace against those on softs, going through comfortably. Both Aston Martin cars also progressed for the first time all year, while Cadillac were slowest overall.
Haas fell at the first hurdle, as did Alex Albon and Nico Hulkenberg. Hulkenberg's exit was especially frustrating given team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto found enough pace in the other Audi to reach the top-10 shootout.
Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso missed the top 10, ending Aston Martin's run. Franco Colapinto, already serving grid penalties, towed Pierre Gasly into Q3 and settled for 15th, knowing he will start from the back regardless.
Verstappen converts pace into pole
Once Q3 began, the outcome seemed inevitable. Verstappen was fastest throughout and converted that into his first pole of the year, with a maiden victory in 2026 now the target for the four-time world champion.
The full qualifying result sees Verstappen ahead of Hamilton and Hadjar, with Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, George Russell, Pierre Gasly and Gabriel Bortoleto completing the top 10.
