Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton recreate rare qualifying combination at Sepang

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton will line up first and second for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Sunday, recreating a Formula 1 qualifying order not seen since the dramatic 2021 title decider in Abu Dhabi. Verstappen secured pole at Sepang with Hamilton placing Ferrari alongside him on the front row.

The result marks the first time since the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that Verstappen has qualified on pole with Hamilton directly alongside him in second. Their rivalry has produced several shared front rows since they first became regular competitors at the front of Formula 1, but this particular order had disappeared for almost five years.

Max Verstappen beats Lewis Hamilton to Sepang pole

Verstappen controlled qualifying at Sepang to secure his first pole position of the 2026 season. It was also the first pole for Red Bull-Ford Powertrains, providing another landmark moment during Formula 1’s return to Malaysia.

Hamilton emerged as the closest challenger after finding a competitive operating window with the Ferrari. The seven-time world champion secured second place and another important front-row start for the Scuderia ahead of the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang.

The two drivers bring an extraordinary combined record to the front row. Between them, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have accumulated 11 world championships, 177 Grand Prix victories, 341 podiums, 154 pole positions and 267 front-row starts.

For Lewis Hamilton, the result gives Ferrari another opportunity to challenge from the front of the grid during the closing stages of the 2026 season. For Verstappen, it ends his wait for a pole position this year.

First Verstappen-Hamilton P1-P2 order since Abu Dhabi 2021

The significance is not simply that Verstappen and Hamilton are sharing a front row again. They also did so at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, when Hamilton took pole by just 0.003 seconds from the Red Bull driver.

What makes Sepang different is the order. The previous occasion on which Verstappen started from pole with Hamilton second was the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the season finale in which their championship fight reached its conclusion.

Sepang therefore becomes the 15th Grand Prix at which the pair have occupied both front-row positions. Verstappen now holds an 8-7 advantage in terms of being the driver on pole when the two have shared the front row.

Every Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton shared front row

The sequence shows how heavily their shared front rows were concentrated around the peak of their rivalry in 2021. Six of the 15 occasions came during that season alone, including Bahrain, Spain, France, Styria, Britain, the Netherlands, the United States and Abu Dhabi.

After Hungary in 2023, however, another Verstappen-Hamilton front row did not arrive until Sepang. Their return to the first two grid positions therefore brings together two of Formula 1’s most successful drivers in a configuration that has become increasingly rare.

The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia forms part of the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, with Hamilton now giving Ferrari a front-row opportunity alongside Verstappen for the race at Sepang.