NEWS
Verstappen returns with pole: "It's fantastic"
An unleashed Max Verstappen secures Red Bull Racing's first pole position with their own power unit in Malaysia.
Max Verstappen had to wait a long time for his first pole position since Abu Dhabi 2025.
At the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, however, the Dutchman finally strikes – and how. With a lead of almost three tenths over Lewis Hamilton (+0.298), the 28-year-old snatches the long-awaited first pole of the 2026 calendar year.
First Pole 2026: Verstappen in a league of his own in Sepang Quali >>>
"It's fantastic. We've been trying to get pole for many Grands Prix. Sometimes it was closer than other times, but the fact that we finally managed it, especially compared to the start of the season, is incredible," said Verstappen after qualifying.
First Red Bull Pole with Own Power Unit
For Red Bull Racing, this pole also marks the first with their own engine. In an interview with ServusTV, team principal Laurent Mekies was particularly pleased with the development of the car on a track with fast corners: "In high-speed corners, we used to have the biggest gap to the competition, and now we are back in the game."
The engineers "developed the car further in the right direction and put something together that works." The Frenchman is particularly satisfied because the car now performs well on a track like Baku with slow corners as well as on the one in Sepang.
Red Bull Spirit "Brought the Car Back to Life"
The "Red Bull spirit" "brought the car back to life": "Everyone stuck together during the most difficult moments."
That the result is not solely due to the Max factor is also proven by Isack Hadjar with third place (+0.428). However, after a five-place grid penalty, the Frenchman will have to start the race from eighth.
Qualifying, however, went less well for Mercedes. Toto Wolff's team only managed fourth place for Andrea Kimi Antonelli (+0.501) and eighth for George Russell (+0.741). The new update package on the W17 is not working at all.
