Full Breakdown
Verstappen clinches Red Bull’s first win with in-house power unit at Sepang
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On Oct 4, 2026, Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit. Starting from pole, he overcame a rain-delayed start, software glitches, and a nail in his left-front tyre to finish ahead of Mercedes’s Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. The victory marked Red Bull’s first win of the 2026 season and the inaugural triumph for the Red Bull Ford Powertrains (RBPT) power unit.
Background & Context
The 2026 season began with Red Bull struggling to extract performance from the new RB22 chassis and its first self-developed power unit after Honda’s departure. Early races saw the car described as “undriveable,” with the team lagging behind Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. Upgrades in Miami, Austria, Baku and finally a comprehensive package at Sepang gradually closed the gap. The Sepang win arrived after 16 races of development, a milestone for the RBPT project launched in 2021.
Data & Statistics
- Career wins: Verstappen’s 72nd Grand Prix victory.
- Pole-to-win margin: 2.307 seconds to Antonelli.
- Fastest lap: 1:38.220 on lap 55.
- Constructors’ standings: Red Bull moved to fourth with 298 points, 18 points behind McLaren.
- Drivers’ standings: Verstappen level on 188 points with Lando Norris; Antonelli leads with 320 points; Russell 236 points; Hamilton 214 points.
Official Statements & Responses
- Technical director Ben Hodgkinson called the race “validation” of the RBPT programme, noting that a win in the first season of a new power-unit project is “extraordinary”.
Why It Matters / Impact
The win shows Red Bull’s in-house power unit can deliver race-winning performance, challenging the dominance of established manufacturers and adding momentum ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.
On-the-Ground Reports
- Multiple drivers experienced software glitches that cut engine power during formation laps, prompting a red-flag and a 53-minute delay while FIA engineers uploaded new software.
- Verstappen reported a nail in his left-front intermediate tyre before the race resumed; the team changed tyres under the red-flag rule, avoiding a penalty.
- Antonelli led early laps after the first safety-car period but was overtaken by Verstappen on lap 13. Mercedes driver George Russell retired with a suspected power-unit failure five laps from the finish.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- The total start-delay is reported as “40 minutes” by some outlets and “more than 90 minutes” by others; the precise duration remains unclear.
- The source of the tyre nail was never identified.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We’re all very much invested in it,” — Max Verstappen
- “Of course, very special for us,” — Max Verstappen
- “I think we will be in the fight for the podium for the coming races, because fundamentally we have been in the fight for the podium for a number of races now: six, seven, eight,” — Laurent Mekies, team principal
What's Next
The next round is the Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay, Oct 11, 2026. Verstappen warned that Sepang’s performance was “track-specific” and the team will need to adapt to the street circuit’s low-speed demands.