- 21 hours ago
Race Highlights Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026
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00:00Now we get the race start.
00:03So they are going to be making their way to the grid
00:06for what we think will be a standing start.
00:08But the official guidance from the FIA here is this is the race start.
00:13So lap one of 55 as the teams file out.
00:18George on intermediates as well.
00:20Intermediates for Max Verstappen on pole.
00:22Lewis Hamilton on soft tyres.
00:24Antonelli on intermediates.
00:26Gasly's just gone off the track on the soft tyre.
00:28There he is, soft for Bottas Perez and Colopinto, his team mate.
00:32Inters for Liam Laws, for Arvid Lindblad.
00:35And there is Pierre Gasly making his way back onto the track.
00:39Let's have a look at what happened.
00:40I said it was a bit wet through turn five and six.
00:43And even when you're taking it steady, whoa, no chance of staying on the track.
00:48I'd be thinking that was going in the barrier if I was sitting in that.
00:51And he just gets away with it.
00:55So we have waited an hour and 40 minutes from when we should have got going to when we are
01:01going to get going.
01:02And we've waited nine years to race here in Sepang.
01:06And we are finally going to get the race we want.
01:09The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
01:12It's lights out and away we go as Max Verstappen crawls off the line.
01:17And Kimi Antonelli goes straight through the middle and says thank you very much.
01:20Followed by his teammate George Russell.
01:23Hamilton struggling, Verstappen struggling.
01:25Great start from Liam Lawson in the racing balls as Antonelli leads into the first corner.
01:30George Russell on the inside going wide there.
01:32And Max Verstappen as Hamilton is dropping places and his teammate Charles Leclerc.
01:37These tyres are starting to go though because they're lapping more slowly than the previous lap.
01:41Russell runs wide.
01:43You heard the big cheer in the grandstands there as the Red Bull and the Mercedes got very close together.
01:49And look, no grip even on the intermediates for George Russell.
01:52Dropping down the hill is a sitting duck on the straight here to Max Verstappen who takes second place.
01:58And a collision between Leclerc and Hülkenberg has been noted which is why Leclerc had to change his front wing.
02:04Great reaction from Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
02:09And those on the dry tyre just got swallowed up at the start.
02:12They did.
02:13It's Max's car bogged down, didn't it?
02:16He had to really coax it back into life.
02:19And he got himself back up into third place there quite well.
02:22Let's watch this.
02:26Just had all the grip he wanted.
02:28Lando Norris ahead of him with slip sliding off the line.
02:31God, that must have felt good if you were George Russell.
02:33Yeah, tremendous start, wasn't it?
02:36It certainly was.
02:37Here we go.
02:38So, yeah.
02:41It's the dry tyre runners.
02:43It's just, it is hopeless now.
02:45It's absolutely hopeless with the amount of time they've lost.
02:48So, this is Leclerc and Hülkenberg that has been noted for causing a collision as Hülkenberg comes across.
02:54And that's, yeah, big damage on the front wing.
02:57And that's why the marshals would have come on the track to collect the debris too.
03:01So, it's just Antonelli separated by about two or three car lengths from Max Verstappen.
03:07But Antonelli's run wide at the hairpin there.
03:10And Verstappen is all over that.
03:12Takes a tighter line.
03:13And it's just a fraction behind the Mercedes down the straight.
03:17Now, tries to pick up the slipstream.
03:19There's no room passed around the outside at turn one.
03:22But what's Verstappen got in his locker as he tries to go around the outside?
03:26If he can hang it on in there as they slide their way through that corner.
03:29Could take the inside line.
03:31Antonelli has it closed off.
03:33So, this is the time.
03:34Oh, and he's off the track.
03:35That's the Cadillac.
03:36Right, perfect time to pit stop then, isn't it?
03:39Surely, they know that that'll need a vehicle to drag that out of there.
03:44And for Bauti Bottas, the seventh DNF of the season.
03:47This is how it happens.
03:50There's a gravel trap waiting for you on the right-hand side.
03:56And on the left-hand side.
03:58And it just went from underneath it, didn't it?
04:00Nothing he could do about that at all.
04:01Just swapped ends.
04:05From nowhere.
04:06Now, this is Oscar Piastri into the pit.
04:10Ooh, I tell you what, the Williams slowed down a lot there.
04:14Alex Albon in front of him.
04:17And will they look at that, I wonder, as to it's going a bit too slowly.
04:22Coming out here, that's how Lance Stroll had the opportunity to get ahead of Alex Albon.
04:28They're in the pit lane until that line across and Lance Stroll, was he just ahead when they got to
04:35the white line?
04:36Well, Kimi Antonelli can get going and Max Verstappen is right behind him here and knew exactly when to pull
04:43the trigger.
04:43Is there a way through under braking?
04:45Is there a way through under braking?
04:57Antonelli leads into turn one.
05:12And there's down the inside goes Lewis Hamilton on the Audi of Nico Hülkenberg as his teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto.
05:19Can you dive into the pits?
05:22Yes, he did dive into the pits.
05:24Stroll ahead of Leclerc.
05:26Hamilton now down the inside again.
05:29This time on Nico Hülkenberg.
05:31Has he got the move made?
05:33Hülkenberg knows.
05:34He's a former winner here in A1 GP.
05:36But turn two might come to his favor.
05:37But Hamilton is quick off the mark out of turn two and has got that place.
05:42He's up to ninth.
05:42But Antonelli might just think, do you know what?
05:45There's a move on here.
05:46I'm not going to stay behind my teammate for much longer.
05:48And he is going for the move.
05:49And into turn four, Kimi Antonelli does get past George Russell.
05:53So back up into second place.
05:57We just got away from that.
05:58But on the GPS, I think he is ahead through turn three.
06:02But what he's engineers come back.
06:04He's then asked if the pace is okay.
06:06And his engineers come back.
06:09And that is why Gabriel Bortoleto got a ten-second penalty for causing a collision.
06:14This is what it felt like or looked like if you were Carlos Sainz.
06:18There's the gap.
06:19There's the gap.
06:20No, no, there's no gap.
06:21Oh, dear.
06:22I love you.
06:23Looking more of the space in the world.
06:26Oh, jeez.
06:29So what's happened to Kimi Antonelli here into the hairpin?
06:32He's gone deep, deep, deep.
06:34And collects the bollard.
06:37He neither went to the left nor went to the right.
06:39He went more to the left than the right.
06:41Yes, he turned.
06:42Check front wing.
06:44To be.
06:47And, yeah, and he just, it looks like he just sort of missed his breaking point almost when steaming in.
06:53And it will lend, if that's the case, Martin, a bit more strength.
06:56Hamilton behind Force 2-0.
06:58He's faster in all corners with his nervous.
07:00Oh, okay.
07:01I am done.
07:03Done.
07:04How is that possible?
07:07Hamilton has gone used medium.
07:10That's his used medium from Q1.
07:12Yeah, this side feels terrible.
07:13How far we have to go with this side?
07:15To the end.
07:17Right on cue.
07:1820 seconds away.
07:19That's six currently.
07:21Let's have a little look at this off board, shall we?
07:24So into the corner.
07:26Lindblad's just ahead.
07:27But Alonso's eking that out through the corners.
07:30And this is the bit where they switch around.
07:35That was crafty.
07:36That would have caught Lindblad out.
07:37I think he might even have been looking in the wrong mirror for that one.
07:40There is Alex Albon by the side of the track.
07:44But this just, oh, this gearbox has gone.
07:47That's such a shame.
07:49It really is.
07:50It just neutralizes things a little bit.
07:53Sergio Perez is well out of the way now.
07:55So this should be.
07:57The last lap.
07:58But what's that?
07:59George Russell pulling over to the right-hand side.
08:01There's a Mercedes pulling over.
08:03And George Russell's out of the race.
08:07Oh, no.
08:09Ten years.
08:09Oh, and that's Lando Norris.
08:11Off into the gravel.
08:13Well, ten years ago, Lewis Hamilton's engine went up in smoke.
08:18And with it is championship chances.
08:20Has history struck twice here in Sepang.
08:23This time with George Russell.
08:25And a power unit issue for him.
08:27They can't restart the race, though, with him there.
08:30So the safety car will remain out on track while they move that car.
08:38Right.
08:38Now, right.
08:39So he's warming up his tires and brakes.
08:41Lando Norris.
08:43Gets to turn one.
08:45Puts his brakes on.
08:46Ooh, he's taking avoiding action there.
08:49There's a car right where he didn't expect it to be.
08:52The pack all just backed up.
08:54Because of George Russell, I think moving over going a lot slower than Lando was expecting. What happened?
09:00Would need to diagnose it, but it looks like a PU issue
09:06Hamilton's going for it with Isaac Hadjar. He'll get overtake now an extra half a megajoule of energy
09:11And I don't think Hadjar's got that behind Kimi Antonelli. Here comes Lewis Hamilton
09:16Hadjar's protecting the inside line Hamilton's gone and he's up into the podium blazes
09:21Lewis Hamilton is third in this Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, and you can hear what the local fans think
09:28about that
09:29Mick Doherty knows a thing or two about a grandstand finish waiting to wave the chequered flag
09:33Here comes Charles Leclerc and making the move on Isaac Hadjar is not at the best of restarts
09:39Has now lost two places to two Ferraris, and he's down into fifth
09:43He's got one more corner to go
09:45It is the record for the longest gap between victories of the circuit and it has never looked in doubt
09:51really
09:51This weekend has it. Max Verstappen nine years old rolls back the years wins in Sepang wins the Bahrain
09:58Grand Prix in Malaysia
10:00Like Yusu when he was winning the world championships
10:03He did the fastest lap of the Grand Prix on the last lap of 138-2. Yes, Max
10:10What up, mate?
10:10No, never, no, the other ones are there
10:1572, mate
10:1672
10:18Amazing joke, guys
10:20What a fantastic weekend
10:22And it's a
10:24Really, really, really, really proud of this stuff
10:28Thank you
10:40You