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Fernando Alonso called race control’s handling of Sepang’s disrupted start unfair after being returned from a temporary tenth place to his original twelfth starting position. Cars from several teams had stopped on track.
Max Verstappen’s Sepang win lifted his Red Bull tally to 72, matching Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari total. Lewis Hamilton is the only driver with more wins for one constructor, with 84 for Mercedes.
Bahrain International Circuit listed race-day attendance of 103,000 at the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and described the event as a record-breaking sell-out. The circuit listed 261,000 for the full weekend.
Arvid Lindblad gained 13 places on Sepang’s first racing lap, rising from 22nd to ninth, while Charles Leclerc lost 18 and fell from fourth to 22nd.
The stewards reprimanded Lando Norris for erratic driving behind the Safety Car at the Bahrain Grand Prix, but did not alter his race result. They also ruled that his momentary move ahead of Oscar Piastri was not an overtake and that his rejoin was safe.
GPBeat reports that Nikolas Tombazis linked Sepang’s formation-lap power problems to a software bug triggered amid very slow, near-stationary running. He estimated the software response at about 20 minutes; the race restarted after a 53-minute red-flag delay.
Lewis Hamilton finished third at Sepang, 4.919 seconds behind Max Verstappen, and said the call at the start had been wrong. He recalled that the team chose soft tyres before the race and that he later waited for the track to dry.
Red Bull has cut its deficit to McLaren to 18 points in the F1 constructors’ standings after scoring 35 points to McLaren’s 10 at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
GPBeat reports that the FIA will conduct a full review with teams and power-unit manufacturers after power losses forced race control to suspend the start procedure for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The FIA attributed the losses to low engine speed, low grip, wet-weather energy-management settings and Sepang’s sector configuration.
Audi’s team representative must report to the stewards at 18:40 on 4 October 2026 over an alleged unsafe release of Nico Hülkenberg’s car at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Charles Leclerc recovered from last to fourth at Sepang after contact with Nico Hülkenberg left him with a puncture and front-wing damage. Leclerc said P4 was the best he could do.
Kimi Antonelli said P2 was the most Mercedes could have achieved in the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, where he finished 2.307 seconds behind Max Verstappen. He said Mercedes had faced reliability problems this season; after George Russell retired, Antonelli led his team-mate by 84 points.
Several cars slowed to a crawl or stopped during the formation laps of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, forcing a red-flag suspension of the start. Lando Norris called the scenes “horrible”; FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis linked the stoppages to a low-speed software fault. GPBeat reports.
Max Verstappen’s rain-delayed Bahrain Grand Prix win in Malaysia was the first F1 victory for Red Bull Ford Powertrains in its first season as a power-unit supplier.
Audi was fined €30,000 after a premature green pit-stop signal created an unsafe situation. The stewards ruled there was no unsafe release. The decision gives conflicting durations for the suspended €20,000: 12 months in its formal penalty wording and the remainder of the 2026 season later.
Isack Hadjar said he lacked battery power to defend against the Ferraris in the closing laps at Sepang. He finished fifth.
Isack Hadjar finished fifth at Sepang after both Ferraris passed him late in the race. He said he had no battery power to defend on the straights.
FIA stewards fined Audi €30,000 after a premature green signal during Nico Hülkenberg’s pit stop created an unsafe situation, but they ruled there was no unsafe release. The decision gives two periods for the suspended €20,000.
The stewards found no infringement after Alexander Albon slowed on the approach to pit entry, concluding that his actions were not erratic or unnecessarily dangerous in the circumstances.
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said the team should have pitted Oliver Bearman sooner after splitting its drivers’ tyre choices at Sepang. Bearman said he lost 40 seconds and believed the right tyre choice could have put Haas in the points fight. The FIA’s provisional classification lists Bearman 14th and Esteban Ocon 15th.
Max Verstappen’s win in Malaysia extends his run of Formula 1 seasons with a victory to 11, moving him past Alain Prost.
GPBeat reports that George Russell said he would consider his 2026 title chances over after retiring late from the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, but added, “Never say never.” Kimi Antonelli leads him by 84 points with seven rounds remaining; it was Russell’s third non-finish.
Mercedes is reviewing the timing of George Russell’s next power-unit change after his late retirement at Sepang. An earlier change could bring a 10-place grid penalty forward and put a planned upgrade at risk; Bradley Lord said the team still needed to assess the effect on Russell’s power-unit pool.
FIA stewards deleted specified race lap times for seven drivers at the Sepang event for track-limits infringements at the designated turns. The decision did not announce additional race penalties.
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