Max Verstappen said his maiden win of 2026 at the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia was “hectic” but “super nice” to achieve for Red Bull.
Verstappen cruised to his 72nd career win at Sepang, the circuit where he took his second-ever F1 win when the sport last raced here in 2017.
The Dutchman took the chequered flag ahead of the current championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli after a rain-interrupted start to earn his and Red Bull’s first win of the season.
Reflecting on the 56-lap race, the 29-year-old said he was “proud” of the team for the journey they have been on since a difficult start to F1’s latest era at the beginning of the season.
“It’s a really nice one, you know,” he told David Coulthard in Parc Ferme after the race.
“After the year that we’ve had and the progression that we’ve made, I’m incredibly proud of everyone, and it’s just super nice to win here.”
But Verstappen’s road to victory was not straightforward. After taking pole for the race on Saturday, the Red Bull driver got off to a sluggish start.
Heavy rain hit Sepang just before the scheduled start time, delaying lights out.
Then, when the race finally got underway, Verstappen described the “hectic” opening phase, which he eventually overcame to take back the outright race lead from Antonelli.
“Yeah, it was very hectic with a lot of different things in the start,” Verstappen added.
“No power, so you have to wait for the power to kick in but then we made the right call with the Intermediates.
“After that, you know, step by step we moved our way forward and from there we could do our own race until the end again.”
Max Verstappen describes “incredible” Red Bull achievement F1 Bahrain GP
Not only was the Bahrain GP in Malaysia Verstappen’s maiden win of the season, but it was also the first F1 win for the RBPT-Ford power unit.
Having entered the sport as a customer outfit in 2005, it was late Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz’s vision to see the team emerge victorious as a works outfit.
The wheels he set in motion before his death came good for the team and Verstappen at Sepang, something he described as an “incredible” feat.
“It’s incredible,” the four-time F1 World Champion said.
“I think already, of course, we started, but also to win our first race in our first year with our own power unit is pretty impressive.”
Up next for Verstappen and Red Bull is the Marina Bay Street Circuit for the Singapore GP – a track where Verstappen is yet to achieve a win in F1.
READ MORE – Max Verstappen edges Mercedes out by winning wet-dry thriller at Sepang
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