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Max Verstappen

Verstappen’s Sepang win puts him among Barretto’s winners

Archive photograph: Max Verstappen · 2024-08-25Archive photo · 2024-08-25 · Steffen Prößdorf · CC BY-SA 4.0

Lawrence Barretto included Verstappen among his winners after the driver’s first pole of 2026 and a rain-hit victory at Sepang.

From the GPBeat newsroomPublished · · 1 min

Max Verstappen’s rain-hit win at Sepang earned him a place among the winners in Lawrence Barretto’s assessment of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, published on 5 October 2026. Barretto called it a “beautiful drive” in a race with plenty of overtaking.

Barretto also points to Verstappen’s impressive pace in Friday practice. Verstappen followed it with his 49th pole position, his first of the season; it was the first time in 2026 that a non-Mercedes-powered car started from pole.

Sources 02
  1. PRIMARY SOURCE5 winners and 5 losers from the Bahrain GP in MalaysiaFormula 1
  2. PRIMARY SOURCEWho impressed our judges at the Bahrain GP in Malaysia?Formula 1