Nocturnal 
Formula 1 is back at Sepang International Circuit for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix, and Sunday’s race has already thrown up more drama than anyone bargained for before a wheel had properly turned in anger.
Max Verstappen locked out pole position for the first time this season, with Red Bull enjoying a strong qualifying session that put him on top of the timesheets. Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari lines up alongside him on the front row, setting up an early-race scrap between two of the sport’s biggest names.
How the grid lines up
Qualifying actually produced a Red Bull one-three, but Isack Hadjar’s result didn’t survive intact. He’s been handed a power unit penalty that drops him down to eighth on the grid.
That reshuffle means row two is now made up of Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes, the championship leader, alongside Charles Leclerc’s second Ferrari. McLaren occupy the whole of row three, with reigning world champion Lando Norris ahead of team mate Oscar Piastri.
Row four is shared by the demoted Hadjar and George Russell’s Mercedes, the Briton having won the last race on the calendar. Pierre Gasly’s Alpine and Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi round out the top ten.
It’s a grim weekend at the other end of the field for two of the grid’s younger drivers. Alpine’s Franco Colapinto starts right at the back after picking up a five-place penalty for a Turn 1 collision in Baku, on top of a ten-place drop for new power unit elements. Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad is alongside him following a combined 30-place penalty of his own for fresh power unit components.
Storms and a red flag before the race really got going
As first reported by Autosport, the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix was delayed after heavy thunderstorms swept over Sepang, a venue notorious for sudden tropical downpours. The weather forced race control to push back the scheduled start time while conditions were assessed.
Things didn’t settle down once cars finally got moving. Autosport also reported that the race descended into further chaos when suspected power unit gremlins affected a number of cars, including Hamilton’s Ferrari, prompting officials to suspend the start of the already wet race with a red flag.
It’s unclear at this stage exactly how many cars were affected or how long the suspension lasted, and Nocturnal News will update this story as more details on the cause of the power unit issues emerge.
Where things stand
The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia was originally scheduled to get going at 1500 local time, though the thunderstorms and subsequent red flag have thrown that timing into disarray. Verstappen remains on pole for whenever the race does properly get under way, with Hamilton his closest challenger on the front row and the title fight between Antonelli, Russell and the rest still very much live heading into the rest of the weekend.
