The Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia proved to be one of the most chaotic spectacles I have witnessed in Formula 1. After a lengthy nine‑year absence, the circuit finally returned, and the effort to resurrect it through inventive problem‑solving turned out to be a remarkable achievement overall. First, I must acknowledge the fans I met at the airport on Monday morning. Many of them recounted extremely long queues and congested roadways that left them stranded for hours after the event.
The surrounding transport network was effectively gridlocked, with shuttle buses unable to move. Although the race was assembled on a very tight timetable, these logistical hiccups were disappointing, and I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the Malaysian supporters who endured them.
Despite the traffic nightmare, those I spoke with all agreed that the on‑track action was exhilarating. Several even admitted they got soaked on the grid walk, just as I did, but they wouldn’t have missed the experience for anything. When the cars were lining up, a sudden rain cell burst onto the circuit. Water pooled around the track, forcing officials to suspend the start procedure.
Once the downpour eased, race control announced a two‑lap formation behind the Safety Car followed by a proper standing start. At first this seemed reasonable, but the situation quickly deteriorated. A number of cars began crawling at extremely low speeds and then stopped completely, while the Safety Car continued at its normal pace, leaving it far ahead of the field.
Drivers were hesitant to overtake the sluggish machines, especially the six Ferrari‑powered entries, several Red Bull Powertrains cars and a McLaren‑Mercedes. These were the first wet‑weather outings for many of the brand‑new 2026 cars, and an unforeseen technical problem emerged. The root cause was traced to FIA software settings. All modern F1 cars run a standard FIA‑supplied control unit – often referred to as the "brain" – which governs essential functions to maintain parity.
The code could not handle vehicles travelling at the very low speeds imposed by the Safety Car, causing the power units to cut power. Drivers were forced to hit the control‑alt‑delete combination to reboot their systems, resulting in a scene of pure pandemonium as the Safety Car began lapping cars that should have been following it. Race officials ultimately decided to abandon the formation and bring the field back to the pits.
The Safety Car was oddly positioned mid‑pack rather than at the front when the cars entered the pit lane. This raised a regulatory question: would drivers who had come to a complete stop – such as Lewis Hamilton in his Ferrari – have to restart from the position they occupied when they re‑joined the fast lane?
After roughly forty minutes – enough time for the rain cell to clear the area – the FIA made a fair decision to restore the original grid order for the restart. Engineers also identified the software bug, rewrote the relevant code to adjust power‑unit parameters for speeds below 50 km/h, and pushed the patch to every car.
Not every team experienced the fault; for example, the Aston Martins ran without issue, but the update ensured a uniform solution. When the race resumed, the track conditions had improved dramatically. The pit lane and the pit straight were completely dry, while the rest of the circuit still showed damp patches, especially in turns three and five. The choice of tyre compound for the standing start, now scheduled more than ninety minutes after the original slot, became a critical strategic dilemma.
Many teams – Ferrari, McLaren, Audi and Aston Martin – initially opted for slick dry tyres, assuming the surface would dry quickly. However, once the Safety Car peeled away, it was evident that spray and lingering moisture made the slicks treacherous. Drivers such as Oscar Piastri and the Audi crew immediately switched to intermediates, recognizing that the light water grooves would offer the needed grip. Hamilton, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc stuck with the dry tyres, hoping the track would improve fast enough.
Leclerc’s gamble backfired when he clipped a barrier on the first racing lap, breaking his front wing and forcing an unscheduled pit stop for intermediates. The stop cost him dearly, and he soon found himself overtaken by Hamilton’s sister Ferrari, which was running on the same compromised compound. The circuit’s ageing asphalt contributed to the difficulty.
Years of extreme heat – often exceeding 60 °C – have worn the surface, creating micro‑pockets that retain water like a sponge. The track had not been resurfaced for this one‑off event, so tyre degradation was a constant concern.
Drivers reported that the old surface, saturated with countless tiny water cells, slowed the drying process far more than anticipated. In the midfield, the battle between the two Mercedes‑powered entries – Kimi Antonelli and George Russell – and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull was intense, with all three on intermediates. Verstappen entered the weekend as the clear favourite, and his pace reflected that expectation.
It took nine laps for Lando Norris, who had stayed on slicks, to finally post a lap time faster than the intermediate‑shod leaders, by which point the slick runners were still a full minute behind. Hamilton, meanwhile, resisted the urge to pit for fresher tyres, believing his existing soft compound could endure. A pivotal moment arrived when Valtteri Bottas spun his Cadillac at turn 13, prompting a full Safety Car deployment.
The timing was perfect for the leaders: they could pit for fresh intermediates under the Safety Car, losing only about 18 seconds instead of the usual 26. The Safety Car stayed out for an extended period, allowing the slick‑tyre cars to close the gap and nullify the large time deficit they had suffered.
Hamilton chose to stay out, prioritising track position over fresh rubber. Remarkably, he managed to run his starting soft compound for 31 laps, a decision that ultimately paid off. As the race progressed, Antonelli maintained a strong lead, trading places with Russell in a series of impressive overtakes.
Verstappen, on his intermediates, eventually reclaimed the lead and never looked threatened again, despite later incidents. The Racing Bulls – Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad – who had started from the back due to power‑unit penalties, made a solid climb up the order. Esteban Ocon and Carlos Sainz also moved into the top ten as the track dried, while the usual front‑runners – the two Ferraris and two McLarens – began to re‑assert themselves.
Isack Hadjar held a respectable fourth place in the second Red Bull before losing power in the final stages. Alex Albon’s Williams stalled on lap 42, forcing a full Safety Car to clear the car and marshals from the side of the track.
During the subsequent safety‑car period, most teams elected to change to fresh, albeit used, tyres to maximise grip for the sprint to the finish. The regulations required the lapped cars to un‑lap themselves, a process that proved slow and contentious, especially for Sergio Perez, who was far behind the Safety Car.
Two dramatic incidents followed. Russell’s Mercedes suffered a power‑unit failure even at the reduced Safety Car speed, forcing him to retire – a heartbreaking end to a season plagued by bad luck.
Shortly after, Lando Norris, warming his tyres under the Safety Car, failed to notice his teammate Oscar Piastri ahead of him. He swerved to avoid a collision, slid off the kerb and lost several positions, ultimately finishing ninth. Verstappen launched another strong restart to lead, with Antonelli chasing as best he could, but the Red Bull was simply faster. Hamilton passed Hadjar for third, and Leclerc moved into fourth, delivering a valuable points haul for Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur, who has been under intense media scrutiny.
Lawson and Lindblad secured seventh and tenth for the Racing Bulls, while Fernando Alonso rounded out the points in eighth for Aston Martin, a strong result that highlighted the car’s suitability to the circuit’s unique surface and aerodynamic demands. The victory marked Verstappen’s first win of the season and the inaugural triumph for the new Red Bull‑Ford power unit, earning him the fan‑voted Driver of the Day award for the seventh time this year. Antonelli, meanwhile, extended his championship lead to 84 points after finishing ahead of his main rivals Russell and Hamilton.
With the Qatar and Abu Dhabi rounds still on the calendar, another 50 points remain up for grabs, but even if Kimi misses the upcoming events in Singapore, Austin or Mexico, he would still retain a comfortable lead with four races left. The race concluded just twelve minutes before the three‑hour time limit, finishing a full three hours and twenty minutes after the original start.
Fans now turn their attention to the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix, the final sprint weekend of the season, which promises fresh challenges for teams and drivers alike.