F1 takeaways: Verstappen storms to victory in Malaysia with classic efficiency

Had it been so lengthy that they forgot the Dutch nationwide anthem?

There was a slight delay as Max Verstappen stood on prime of the rostrum Sunday on the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia (no, that is not a typo) earlier than the once-familiar tune kicked in.

Sure, it had been virtually a 12 months since his final win (except you depend the Max vs. 100 karting problem), and 9 years since his final win on the Sepang International Circuit, however Verstappen was in classic type as F1 returned to Malaysia.

Yes, we obtained Sepang again earlier than we obtained GTA VI, because the observe returned after a nine-year hiatus. Verstappen’s victory there in 2017 was solely the second of his profession. This one was No. 72 — a particular quantity as Verstappen matched Michael Schumacher in wins with a single workforce (each sit behind Lewis Hamilton, who holds the file with 84 at Mercedes).

The four-time world champion Verstappen began on pole place, however this wasn’t a clear lights-to-flag victory. A torrential downpour and software program points — did they struggle turning it on and off? — led to a delay of 1 hour and 45 minutes of chaos earlier than the race lastly obtained underway.

When the lights lastly went out, Verstappen dropped to 3rd as Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell swooped forward. Verstappen stayed on their tails and pulled a reverse UNO card on Lap 13 shortly after a security automobile restart to retake the lead and drive away.

Verstappen remained unchallenged for the rest of the 55-lap race, solely dropping the lead briefly when he made his ultimate pit cease underneath a digital security automobile earlier than Antonelli boxed the next lap.

While it had been virtually a 12 months since Verstappen’s victory on the 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi, he has been near ending the drought, ending on the rostrum in six of the previous eight races.

It might have taken longer than he had hoped, however Verstappen now has Red Bull’s first win since partnering with Ford. Simply beautiful.

Russell’s title hopes go up in smoke

Russell was already going through an uphill battle to shut the hole to Antonelli within the title combat. His probabilities might have evaporated when a suspected energy unit challenge pressured him to drag over and shut it down with solely a handful of laps remaining.

What a distinction every week makes, as Russell was coming off a spirited win on the Azerbaijan GP in Baku.

Antonelli now holds an 84-point benefit over his teammate, with seven races and a dash to go.

Schedule uncertainty nonetheless looms?

But will there be that many? Let’s not neglect why the Bahrain GP was held in Malaysia within the first place.

The precise Bahrain GP was presupposed to happen in April however was postponed, together with the Saudi Arabian GP, when the battle within the Middle East escalated. While the Bahrain GP was rescheduled for Malaysia, the Saudi Arabian GP was cancelled.

F1 prime boss Stefano Domenicali reassured this week that the season will finish with Qatar (Nov. 29) and Abu Dhabi (Dec. 6) as deliberate, however the sequence wants to significantly contemplate the danger earlier than continuing additional with the warfare in Iran nonetheless ongoing.

P18 to podium for Hamilton

Was it Throwback Sunday? Verstappen wasn’t the one driver to show in a classic efficiency.

Hamilton salvaged what may have been a catastrophe after beginning P2 on the entrance row proper subsequent to Verstappen and plummeting to close the again of the pack on the opening lap resulting from a tire distinction. The seven-time world champion began on tender tires, as these on the intermediates breezed by on the moist observe.

The workforce needed him to pit early, however Hamilton stayed out on his dry tires and caught with them because the observe dried out. That proved to be a superb choice as Hamilton picked by the sector to climb again into the factors.

With Russell’s DNF, Hamilton was up into fourth on the restart and handed Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar for the ultimate spot on the rostrum as followers within the stands roared.

It’s a disgrace we have been denied a correct Verstappen vs. Hamilton combat at first, however due to the good pondering, Hamilton’s race did not get washed away within the rain.

Time prolonged for Alonso, Stroll

No shock, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll re-signed with Aston Martin earlier this week.

First off, was there any doubt about Stroll? As lengthy as he desires to maintain racing for the workforce his father owns, Stroll’s seat is protected. Who says there’s no job safety in motorsports?

Meanwhile, the ageless Alonso (who is definitely 45 years previous) will return for an unprecedented twenty fourth season. Forget about GTA VI; GTA III hadn’t even been launched when Alonso made his F1 debut in 2001 for Minardi. Seven drivers presently on the grid hadn’t even been born but.

Alonso’s longevity is famous, and although the 2 world championships, 32 wins, and 106 podiums are fading within the distance of his rearview mirror, he is nonetheless obtained it.

“I took my time to make this decision, but racing is my life, my passion, and I know I still have the speed and determination to compete at the highest level,” Alonso stated in a workforce launch. “I’m committed for the long term with this team and to helping us succeed.”

This 12 months has been a nightmare for the workforce; nonetheless, each drivers managed to ship season-best finishes. Alonso held off McLaren’s Lando Norris to complete eighth and decide up 4 factors. Stroll nonetheless has but to attain a single level, however he completed on the lead lap for the primary time this season in twelfth place. Small steps.

End of the road for Ocon? 

Esteban Ocon is and not using a trip for subsequent season. The Haas workforce introduced earlier this week that they are going to be parting methods with the Frenchman on the finish of the 12 months. No alternative has been named but, nor has the workforce confirmed the way forward for Ollie Bearman.

Ocon completed fifteenth within the drivers’ standings final season, two spots and three factors again of his then-rookie teammate. Bearman (thirteenth, 20 factors) continues to outperform Ocon (sixteenth, seven factors) this 12 months.

Ocon, who turned 30 final month, has carved out a decent profession, racing 10 seasons in F1 with one magical win on the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix and 4 podiums complete. He must also cross the 200-race-starts milestone by season’s finish.

But Ocon additionally clashed and crashed together with his teammates, similar to Sergio Perez at Force India and longtime frenemy Pierre Gasly at Alpine. Not to say how “five-second time penalty for Ocon” turned a meme. 

Ocon’s downside is that the grid is just about locked for 2027. With Haas out of the image, the one different workforce nonetheless to announce its drivers for subsequent season is Racing Bulls. Even then, the workforce will most probably follow Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad or promote a junior driver internally ought to they resolve to make a change.

A return to a take a look at/reserve driver position is perhaps Ocon’s greatest guess to remain near the motion and anticipate one thing to open up. We’ve seen Perez and Valtteri Bottas return from a hiatus with the addition of Cadillac, and Nico Hulkenberg got here again from a 12 months off in latest seasons. 

For now, Ocon can profit from his remaining time with Haas to show himself. An eighth-place end final weekend in Baku definitely helped; fifteenth in Sepang not a lot.