Verstappen takes Bahrain GP pole at Sepang for 49th F1 No. 1

Hamilton starts second with Antonelli fourth

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated 39m1 min read

Qualifying at Sepang felt like rolling back the clock. Max Verstappen, on-track just a few days after his 29th birthday Via @TheAthletic on X

What happened: Mercedes still put Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli near the front, with Hamilton second on the grid and Antonelli fourth. Isack Hadjar qualified third and Charles Leclerc fifth, and the pole came a few days after Verstappen's 29th birthday.

Why it matters: That result flipped the weekend script after Antonelli led final practice at Sepang. Track position now sits with Verstappen even after Mercedes had carried the pace discussion into Saturday.

By the numbers: By the numbers: Verstappen's pole was the 49th of his F1 career; Mercedes placed two cars in the top four with Hamilton second and Antonelli fourth; the top five on the grid are Verstappen, Hamilton, Hadjar, Antonelli and Leclerc.

What to watch: Sunday's start puts Verstappen and Hamilton on the front row with Antonelli directly behind them. The next question is whether Mercedes can turn its qualifying pace into race-day pressure at Sepang.

Sources

@TheAthletic 2026-10-03T16:08:45.469923+00:00

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