Max Verstappen described his triumph at the Malaysian round of the Bahrain Grand Prix as a "truly special and emotional" occasion, marking Red Bull's inaugural win of the 2026 season. The Dutch driver was in commanding form, expertly handling the mixed‑weather track and the safety‑car restarts to outpace championship leader Kimi Antonelli, thereby extending his streak of securing at least one victory each year since he joined Red Bull in 2016. Just two months earlier, Verstappen's future had been the subject of intense speculation. During the summer break he signed a new deal that locks him into the team until the end of 2030, and his performance in Malaysia underscored why he continues to place his confidence in the Milton Keynes outfit.
After coming within two points of a fifth world title last season, it became evident that the 2026 campaign would be the first since 2020 in which he would not be a genuine title contender. Red Bull’s partnership with Ford produced a brand‑new power unit that quickly earned FIA recognition as the benchmark after the first ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) assessment.
Yet the chassis, the RB22, proved to be the Achilles’ heel at the start of the year. Despite Verstappen’s reputation for extracting the maximum from any machinery, the car’s erratic handling left him with just a single podium in the opening seven races.
In June, Red Bull introduced a substantial upgrade package at the Austrian Grand Prix. The changes shed excess weight and re‑shaped the aerodynamics, delivering an immediate performance boost.
Verstappen finished a close second, less than two seconds behind race‑winner George Russell, and a week later at Silverstone he was on course for third before a rear‑wing failure forced his retirement. He then added podiums in Belgium and Hungary before the summer hiatus. A rare mistake at his home event in Zandvoort saw him crash out on the first lap, but he rebounded with podium finishes at Monza and the newly added Madrid race.
Further upgrades in Baku allowed him to finish a mere two‑tenths behind Russell in what became F1’s closest finish since 2002. Aside from the two retirements at the British and Dutch Grands Prix, Verstappen has stood on the podium in the remaining seven races since the Austrian upgrades. In many respects his dominant weekend in Malaysia should not have been surprising; Red Bull has been on a clear upward trajectory throughout the season.
"We had a very complicated and tough start to the year with all sorts of problems and just not being competitive enough," Verstappen admitted. "But throughout the year the team has been working very hard to understand our issues and bring good performance upgrades to the car and make it more drivable. Step by step, we've been getting closer and closer, and Sunday – especially this whole weekend – we've been really in good form, so it's amazing." He added, "Very enjoyable to win here and also have our first victory for our own engine.
It's an incredible project with a lot of partners and a lot of people that are dedicated to be where we are now, so a fantastic feeling." Much of the credit goes to former team principal Christian Horner, whose leadership helped the Red Bull‑Ford powertrain exceed expectations in its debut season as an engine supplier. However, Horner’s final years were marked by internal turmoil after the death of co‑founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022, prompting a power struggle that saw several key figures depart—including legendary designer Adrian Newey, chief engineering officer Rob Marshall, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, advisor Helmut Marko, and eventually Horner himself.
These departures fueled speculation about Verstappen’s own future with the team for 2024 and 2025, especially after a public falling‑out between his father Jos Verstappen and Horner. In July 2025, Laurent Mekies took over as team principal, and the relationship between the Dutch driver and the new boss appears far more harmonious.
Verstappen has publicly praised Mekies’ engineering background and the collaborative atmosphere. A year after Mekies’ appointment, Red Bull found a surge of performance that propelled Verstappen to eight straight podiums, including four wins, pushing Lando Norris into title contention. While it is difficult to isolate Mekies’ exact impact, the rapid development this season can certainly be linked to his leadership. After the Malaysian victory, Mekies said, "The credit goes to all the people involved who have been working incredibly hard on this project over the past five years.
Everyone in Milton Keynes and at the track deserves this moment and should celebrate it as an important step towards many more victories in the future. This result confirms the progress we have been making in recent months.
We were already close several times, and today we converted that pace. The team has been working tirelessly to improve our package, and weekends like this are the reward for that effort." It is still early to declare whether Verstappen’s long‑term commitment to Red Bull was the right decision; only the results of the 2027 season will provide a definitive answer.
Nonetheless, the combination of Mekies as team principal, the technical direction of Pierre Wache, and chief performance engineer Ben Waterhouse—both of whom have been with the outfit for over a decade—appears to be the cornerstone of a new Red Bull era built around Verstappen. "Everyone is contributing a lot and always trying to find performance, upgrades and push the team forward," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
"In Baku we were quick in the corners but not on the straights compared to Mercedes. In Malaysia we were decent in the corners and quick on the straights. Sometimes we just need to understand the whole package – why we are quick, why we were not so quick and take it step by step." Red Bull has a storied history of strong car development, and this season they seem to be reviving that tradition. With seven races left, there is no reason to doubt that Verstappen can add to his 72 career victories.
The Malaysian win served as a reminder that the Red Bull‑Verstappen partnership remains a formidable force, one that may have been dormant for a short while but is now fully awake again. Formula 1 heads to Singapore for the final sprint weekend of the year, with action beginning on Friday and live coverage on Sky Sports F1. Viewers can stream Sky Sports via NOW – no contract required, cancel anytime.