Malaysian Madness: Verstappen Wins Chaos as Half the Grid’s Engines Stage a Walkout
A race delayed twice, cars that switched themselves off on the formation lap, and Hamilton clawing back from 18th to the podium — PitLane24 recaps the maddest Grand Prix of the season.
The Bahrain Grand Prix — held, in classic F1 fashion, in Malaysia — promised just another round on the calendar. Instead it delivered one of the most chaotic Sunday afternoons in recent memory: a tropical downpour, a start delayed twice, cars that switched themselves off on the formation lap, and a finish bookended by two red flags. Max Verstappen won the whole mess, from pole again, but the real story is how close the entire event came to not happening at all.
A start postponed twice
The first delay came from torrential rain and thunder — 40 minutes just to get the track fit for intermediate tyres. The second was stranger still: power unit software malfunctions during the formation lap caused multiple cars to simply stall on track. Race Control had no choice but to send everyone back to the pits for software repairs before the race had even started.
Hamilton: front row to 18th and back to the podium
Lewis Hamilton started from the front row, but Ferrari’s early gamble on slick tyres backfired badly, dropping him more than a minute off the lead and all the way down to 18th. From there he produced a drive that silenced even his harshest critics, clawing his way back lap after lap to finish third, behind Verstappen and the surprise of the day, Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli and Mercedes’ new weapon
Antonelli’s second place was no fluke. Mercedes brought a seven-part upgrade package to Malaysia — new floor, sidepods, rear suspension and bodywork — described by rivals as “ominous.” Judging by the result, that description looks about right: the team finally found the pace to trouble the front of the grid.
Two red flags and one premature shutdown
As if the rain and the mass software failures weren’t enough, George Russell retired with five laps to go while running third, felled by a power unit failure, just as Alex Albon’s Williams stopped off-track and triggered the final Safety Car. Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle summed it up best:
That is one of the craziest Formula 1 races I have ever seen.
Result
- 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- 3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- 4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- 5. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
Based on reporting by Sky Sports and Motorsport.com.
