By: The Kuala Lumpur circuit is defined by one of the most beautiful and intriguing layouts the drivers have ever raced on. It is a shame it dropped off the calendar, but this year, despite everything, the situation affecting the Middle East has given us the chance to relive qualifying action at the iconic Malaysian track. Its demanding nature is underlined by the fact that we are facing a starting grid that looks entirely different from the norm.
Red Bull was exceptionally quick, with Verstappen taking pole position. He was three tenths clear of the driver in second, who was not a Mercedes driver but Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. Max’s team-mate, Isack Hadjar, would have started from P3 tomorrow, but replacing power unit components will mean a five-place grid penalty.
The Bahrain GP starting grid – Formation lap at 09:00
Hadjar will not be the only driver serving an engine-related penalty. He will be joined by the VCARB of Arvid Lindblad and the Alpine of Franco Colapinto, who will start from the back. The Argentine has also received a further five-place grid penalty for causing the incident in Azerbaijan. Between the three penalised drivers and the day’s surprises, Verstappen, Hamilton and Hadjar have delivered a performance nobody could have imagined, and here is the starting grid for the Bahrain GP in Malaysia. Lights go out at 09:00 Italian time on Sunday 4 October.
Why are we calling it a provisional grid? Because the teams’ technicians could still identify issues with the cars before tomorrow’s race and, should it become necessary to replace a component subject to regulatory restrictions, the Federation would have to drop the driver concerned by several positions on the grid.
Cover photo by Peter Kiss / WHYOUT Images
inside photo: X, F1
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Bahrain GP 2026
