The best driver won, but in the end almost everyone had something to celebrate from this strange Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia at Sepang, far away from the winds of war. Max Verstappen ultimately came out on top, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli took another important step towards the world title and Ferrari found at least a small ray of hope through Lewis Hamilton’s podium.
Max Verstappen returns to winning form
Max Verstappen won because, in the most difficult grip conditions, he immediately made the difference. Red Bull also returned to the top step after going 72 Grands Prix without seeing the chequered flag as a winner, always previously with Max Verstappen, of course.
This time, however, there was an additional significance: Red Bull also won as a power-unit manufacturer, putting itself alongside Ferrari, Mercedes and Audi in that respect. The fact that the achievement arrived after only 16 races makes the milestone even more remarkable.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli closes on the title as Lewis Hamilton shines
Andrea Kimi Antonelli also emerged as one of the major winners despite finishing second. The Italian extended his championship advantage over the continually unfortunate George Russell to 84 points, putting the world title increasingly within sight.
Ferrari could also claim a positive result after Lewis Hamilton reached the third step of the podium following a superb recovery drive. After only six laps, the seven-time world champion was down in 17th place and already 76 seconds behind the leader.
Fernando Alonso also produced an impressive result by taking a struggling Aston Martin to eighth place, a finish that appeared extremely difficult to imagine given the car’s level of performance.
Mercedes and McLaren emerge as Sepang’s big losers
Only two teams truly lost out amid the chaos in Kuala Lumpur. Mercedes had arrived expecting major gains from its new aerodynamic package, but the car instead performed worse. George Russell then suffered a worrying power-unit failure while running third with five laps remaining.
McLaren also endured a major setback. The team got the car’s set-up wrong despite having been expected to challenge for victory.
Chaotic conditions highlight Max Verstappen and Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Italian motorsport can celebrate another important step from Andrea Kimi Antonelli towards a championship that appears increasingly close. There was little he could ultimately do against an inspired Max Verstappen in a Red Bull that has improved significantly in recent races under Laurent Mekies, another highly regarded technician who is much missed and perhaps was not fully appreciated during his time at Maranello.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli still tried. Starting third, he launched himself aggressively into the lead and remained determined to make life difficult for Max Verstappen. The Mercedes driver could have settled for second and thought only about the championship, but instead he continued trying to win without taking unnecessary risks. It was the attitude of a champion who now appears to be missing only the final seal.
The race itself was confused and delayed. Rain arrived at the beginning, and although Sepang’s draining asphalt appeared capable of drying within a few laps, that did not happen. The circuit gradually evolved into a treacherous dry surface, where Max Verstappen and Andrea Kimi Antonelli demonstrated superior sensitivity behind the wheel and fought cleanly for a couple of laps.
Before that, Andrea Kimi Antonelli had also battled George Russell after his team-mate slipped ahead at the start. The Italian soon repassed him. George Russell had been strong at Baku on a comparatively straightforward circuit, but the difficult Sepang conditions exposed some limitations that have been discussed for some time, although he bore no responsibility for the eventual engine failure.
Ferrari finds a ray of light at Sepang
And Ferrari? Decent, but not enough. The gamble of starting both cars on Soft tyres immediately proved costly. With little to lose, the Scuderia could have split its approach and fitted Intermediates to one of the two cars, particularly given how uncertain the conditions were. Sepang’s tyre behaviour had already been one of the key factors heading into the weekend, with Pirelli’s Sepang tyre compounds presenting a different challenge for the SF-26.
Lewis Hamilton fell from second on the grid to 16th, while Charles Leclerc also made contact with Gabriel Bortoleto and found himself last after his pit stop. Lewis Hamilton used all his experience to keep going on the softer Pirellis and gradually began recovering, helped by two Safety Car periods. It was an excellent comeback, backed by strong pace.
Charles Leclerc also showed an encouraging level of speed. As soon as the Monegasque switched to Soft tyres, he was even faster than race leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Both Ferrari drivers spent much of the race under pressure to recover positions and eventually passed Isack Hadjar in the closing stages. George Russell’s retirement then allowed Lewis Hamilton to secure a deserved podium.
The underlying speed can be explored further through the ScuderiaFans F1 Race Pace & Lap Time Comparison, particularly when assessing whether Ferrari’s Soft-tyre performance represented genuine front-running potential.
Could Ferrari have fought at the front in a normal race?
Could Ferrari have challenged at the front in normal circumstances? It is difficult to know. The pace on the softer compound was certainly there, but Lewis Hamilton was still around half a minute behind Max Verstappen when the final Safety Car appeared.
Nevertheless, Sepang offered Ferrari a small ray of light that will need to be confirmed next Sunday in Singapore. Fred Vasseur, Benedetto Vigna and the rest of the Maranello leadership are clearly operating under intense scrutiny and are feeling the pressure that comes with such constant attention.
But Ferrari remains Ferrari, as the great Enzo Ferrari often reminded everyone. Expectations at Maranello are built around victories, not difficult recoveries and hard-earned placings that ultimately satisfy nobody.
