Max Verstappen claims first F1 pole of season in Bahrain

In the 15th race of the F1 season, four-time world champion Max Verstappen earned his first pole position of the campaign with two outstanding qualifying runs at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The Dutchman set the pace in both runs, ending the session with a time of 1-minute, 35.130 seconds, building up a 0.298 advantage over Great Britain's Lewis Hamilton. 'We've been trying many Grands Prix to get pole, sometimes a bit closer than others, but to finally get it from where we started the season, it's pretty incredible,' said Verstappen. 'I'm happy with today and for sure I'm going to try to win tomorrow. When you start first, that's the target.' Verstappen has finished second in the last two races, losing the top spot to Mercedes teammates Italian Kimi Antonelli in Spain on Sept. 13 and Englishman George Russell in Azerbaijan last Sunday. Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Frenchman Isack Hadjar settled for third but will face a five-place grid penalty for the race. Antonelli qualified in fourth, while Hamilton's teammate Charles Leclerc crossed in fifth place. Antonelli, who has won eight times in 2026, holds a sizable lead over Russell, 302-236 through 14 races. Hamilton is third (199), while Verstappen sits in sixth place with 163 points.