Max Verstappen described his win at the Malaysian round of the Bahrain Grand Prix as an "incredibly special and emotional" achievement, marking Red Bull's first victory of the 2026 season. The Dutch driver was at the peak of his powers, expertly navigating the tricky mixed‑weather track and a series of safety‑car restarts to outpace championship leader Kimi Antonelli. This victory continued his impressive streak of scoring at least one win every season 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 fresh contract that ties him to Red Bull until the end of 2030, and the Malaysian performance underlined why he has such confidence in the Milton Keynes operation. After coming within two points of a fifth world title last year, it became evident that the 2026 campaign would be the first since 2020 where Verstappen could not realistically fight for the championship.
The season began with a major technical challenge. While Red Bull and its new partner Ford delivered a power unit that the FIA quickly labeled the benchmark after the first ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) assessment, the chassis of the RB22 proved to be a serious weakness.
Verstappen, renowned for extracting the maximum from any car, admitted he struggled to trust the car’s erratic handling, managing only a single podium in the opening seven races. In June, Red Bull introduced a comprehensive upgrade package at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The changes shed excess weight and reshaped the aerodynamics, instantly improving performance. Verstappen finished a close second, just under 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.
The upgrades continued to pay off, delivering podium finishes in Belgium and Hungary before the summer break. A rare mistake at his home event in Zandvoort saw Verstappen crash out on the first lap, but he quickly rebounded with podiums in Monza and Madrid. Further refinements in Baku brought him within two‑tenths of Russell in Azerbaijan, producing the closest finish in Formula 1 since 2002. Aside from the two retirements at the British and Dutch rounds, Verstappen has stood on the podium in the other seven races since the Austrian upgrades.
In many ways his dominant weekend in Malaysia should not have been a surprise; Red Bull has been on a clear upward trajectory throughout the year. "We had a very complicated and tough start to the year with all sorts of problems and just not being competitive enough," Verstappen reflected. "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 were 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 launch the Red Bull‑Ford powertrain project. The venture exceeded expectations in its inaugural season as an engine supplier. However, Horner’s final years at the team were marked by internal turmoil after the death of co‑founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022, leading to 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 uncertainty about Verstappen’s future with the squad for 2024‑2025, especially after a public fallout between his father, former driver Jos Verstappen, and Horner. In July 2025, Laurent Mekies replaced Horner as team principal.
The new relationship between Verstappen and Mekies appears far more harmonious, with the driver appreciating Mekies’ engineering background. A year after Mekies’ arrival, Red Bull found a surge of performance that allowed Verstappen to claim eight consecutive podiums, including four wins, propelling Lando Norris into a surprising title contention. While it is difficult to quantify exactly how much of that success is attributable to Mekies, the rapid progress certainly aligns with his leadership style.
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 remains too early to declare whether Verstappen’s long‑term commitment to Red Bull is the right decision; only time—perhaps by 2027—will provide a definitive answer.
What is clear, however, is that the combination of Mekies as team principal, the steady guidance of technical director Pierre Wache, and chief performance engineer Ben Waterhouse—both long‑time Red Bull veterans—forms a core that is rebuilding a new Red Bull era around Verstappen. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Verstappen highlighted the evolving car dynamics: "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 reputation for developing strong chassis packages, and this season appears to be no exception.
With seven races remaining, there is no reason to doubt that Verstappen can add to his current tally of 72 career wins. Malaysia served as a vivid reminder that the Red Bull‑Verstappen partnership remains a formidable force, one that may have been briefly dormant but is now fully awakened.
The championship now moves to Singapore for the final sprint weekend of the year, with live coverage set to begin on Friday via Sky Sports F1. Viewers can stream Sky Sports through NOW, with no long‑term contract required and the option to cancel at any time.