By: 301 days on from their last victory in Abu Dhabi, on the day they had to surrender the crown to Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Red Bull have finally returned to winning ways in Formula 1. Nine years on, the Dutchman has won in Malaysia once again, having been the last driver to triumph at Sepang back in 2017.
This time, however, the top step of the podium carries even greater significance, as it marks the first official victory for Red Bull Ford Powertrains, the department that began designing the power unit which won yesterday in Malaysia five years ago at its Milton Keynes headquarters. Few had expected the project to be capable of winning in its debut season, but Christian Horner and Red Bull’s late founder Dietrich Mateschitz had invested heavily in it, bolstered by the partnership established with the Detroit-based manufacturer.
At the end of the race, the former Team Principal of the Anglo-Austrian team shared his satisfaction on social media at the achievement of “his” engine – which, according to the FIA, also has the best internal-combustion unit: "From a hole in the ground to a winner in five years. Congratulations to Red Bull Ford Powertrains, Max and the whole team. An incredible achievement!".
A very different Red Bull
Overall, the team led by Laurent Mekies has taken a significant step forward in performance since returning from the summer break. Verstappen has now recorded four consecutive podiums, culminating, of course, in his triumph in Malaysia after coming very close in Baku eight days earlier. The latest upgrades introduced in Azerbaijan certainly played a major part, making the RB22 a better-balanced car and allowing it to reach its ideal operating window more easily, while also taking a step forward in terms of driveability.
Isack Hadjar has also confirmed this, saying he found a car significantly improved compared with the one he had left before his injury. The engineers’ work in understanding the new regulations has also been crucial, resulting in greater exploitation of the package at their disposal. That work was already becoming apparent before the Parisian driver’s return, with Liam Lawson proving a capable replacement through his performances.
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Bahrain GP 2026
