Verstappen passes Prost with win in 11th consecutive F1 season
Max Verstappen’s win in Malaysia extends his run of Formula 1 seasons with a victory to 11, moving him past Alain Prost.
Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at Sepang International Circuit on 4 October, finishing 2.307 seconds ahead of Kimi Antonelli. Lewis Hamilton was third, 4.919 seconds behind Verstappen.
Crash.net reported that Verstappen had not previously won a race in 2026. He started from pole position and took the win after a lengthy delay to the start.
Formula 1 officially called the event the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, rather than the Malaysian Grand Prix. Verstappen completed 55 laps to take the chequered flag.
Update
Russell was running third when he retired with five laps remaining. BBC Sport reported a power-unit failure. Mercedes team-mate Antonelli finished second behind Max Verstappen and now leads Russell by 84 points in the drivers’ standings.
Lewis Hamilton took third after passing Isack Hadjar following a late safety car. BBC Sport says either six or seven races remain in the championship.
Update
The Malaysian victory puts Verstappen third on the all-time list for consecutive Formula 1 seasons with at least one Grand Prix win. Alain Prost won races in 10 successive seasons. Verstappen’s run began with his first victory, in Spain in 2016, when he was 18.
Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton share the record, having each won at least one Grand Prix in 15 consecutive seasons.
Sources 04
- SOURCEBahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026 - F1 RaceFormula 1 · Source date as found: 2026-10-04 (race date; page publication date not stated)
- SOURCEF1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia: Full race resultsCrash.net · Source date as found: 2026-10-04 (retrieval date; page publication date not stated)
- PRIMARY SOURCEBahrain GP in Malaysia: Verstappen wins after long delaysBBC Sport · Source date as found: 2026-10-04
- PRIMARY SOURCEVerstappen voorbij Prost met Formule 1-zege in elfde jaar op rijANP, via Nieuws.nl · Source date as found: 2026-10-04
Source context
Formula 1 provides the event name and podium results; Crash.net reports on Verstappen’s season record and the delayed start.
BBC Sport’s race report of 4 October 2026 is the source for the retirement, finishing positions and championship gap.
ANP’s 4 October 2026 report, carried by Nieuws.nl, provides the historical rankings and figures cited here.
Claims and supporting evidence 13
This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Event identity, date and venue October 4, 2026 The official event name is not the Malaysian Grand Prix.
This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Race classification October 4, 2026 The retrieved official event page displays the top five, not the complete classification; its displayed podium order is sufficient for this finding.
This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. First win of the season 2026 season through October 4 This season-long claim is stated by Crash.net; the retrieved Formula 1 event page confirms the October 4 victory but does not list Verstappen's earlier 2026 results.
This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Delayed start October 4, 2026 The cited passage gives neither an exact duration nor a technical cause.
This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Race result at Sepang, as reported by BBC Sport. 2026-10-04 race The result is supported by one retrieved race report; no official classification was retrieved.
This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Race start and delays. Before the 2026-10-04 race start The report does not establish the underlying cause of the technical problems.
This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Russell's retirement and the reported drivers' championship gap. After the 2026-10-04 race The article's embedded chart describes a different, earlier snapshot: a 43-point lead after five races. That figure should not be treated as the post-race gap.
This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Hamilton's race recovery. During the 2026-10-04 race Race positions and sequence come from the BBC report alone.
This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Proposed explanation for the pre-start problems. Pre-start delay and reporting available on 2026-10-04 The proposed cause is not established by the retrieved source.
This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Race result and consecutive winning seasons Reported on 4 October 2026; the streak runs from 2016 through 2026. The supplied documents contain only this ANP report as carried by Nieuws.nl, not an independent race classification.
This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Historical comparison of consecutive winning seasons All-time comparison as reported on 4 October 2026. The ranking and counts are supported by the ANP report; no separate historical results record is supplied.
This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Background to Verstappen’s winning streak 2016 and 2023. These historical figures come from the same ANP report; the supplied documents include no independent results archive.
This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Career Grand Prix victory totals Totals as reported on 4 October 2026. These are the report’s totals at that date, not figures independently checked against an official results database.
Corrections and updates to this story
Updated with a material new development verified through a separate News Made Clear newsroom run.
Updated with a material new development verified through a separate News Made Clear newsroom run.
This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.