Quick Hits

• Verstappen is a winner again. Max Verstappen took his and Red Bull's first victory of 2026 with a beautiful drive in a rain-hit, heavily disrupted Bahrain GP at Sepang — with championship leader Antonelli joining him on the podium.
• Russell's heartbreak carries a Singapore sting. After a late power unit failure cost him a podium, Mercedes has confirmed a grid penalty this weekend — Toto Wolff admits the Briton will start Sunday's race from the very back.
• The 2026 power unit furor is boiling over. Russell branded the chaos "not very F1" and Norris said the sport "shouldn't have any of that stuff" — but Andrea Stella says the paddock must "accept occasional glitches".
• Hadjar's stolen podium. The rookie says a "stupid" battery issue left him defenceless as the Ferraris of Hamilton and Leclerc swept past.
• Sprint week at Marina Bay. Singapore stages its first sprint event this weekend, with special liveries unveiled by Ferrari and Audi.

Race Recap

Verstappen's return to the top step headlined a wild afternoon at a soaked Sepang — a race F1.com described as featuring "plenty of overtaking" amid the disruptions. Championship leader Antonelli joined the party, though Mercedes couldn't resist poking fun at his podium blunder — the Italian has since been detailing the lessons he's absorbing from racing wheel-to-wheel with Hamilton and Verstappen.

The chaos started before a racing lap: an aborted start triggered grid confusion, with Hamilton's return to his grid slot questioned amid debate over the suspension-of-start-procedure rule. Once going, Hadjar looked set for a career-best result until his battery gremlin turned him into a sitting duck for Hamilton and Leclerc. Russell was running third in the closing stages when his power unit let go, while Leclerc called on Ferrari to learn from Red Bull on strategy after a failed tyre gamble. Stroll salvaged his best result of the season, though his frustrations began before he'd even left the grid.

Qualifying & Grid

The big grid story is already written: Russell will take a significant penalty in Singapore after new power unit components were required following the Sepang failure, with the size of the penalty dependent on the number of parts used. Wolff labelled the situation "particularly frustrating" and confirmed the Briton faces starting from the very back on Sunday — a brutal blow on a track where overtaking is at a premium.

Technical & FIA

The electronics failures that overshadowed Malaysia have split the paddock. Russell and Norris led the driver criticism, with Leclerc adding that the chaos reinforced the drivers' pre-existing fears about the current regulations — but Stella backed F1 despite the backlash, accepting that crippling software bugs are possible while urging the FIA to prevent a repeat.

Meanwhile, Mercedes has launched an investigation into Russell's failed unit, and Naomi Schiff warns the ongoing issues could cost Antonelli victories and threaten his title campaign. Elsewhere, Honda has confirmed its main performance limitation relative to Mercedes; Vowles explains why Williams' 2026 "disaster" shouldn't repeat next year; and Red Bull is overcoming ADUO restrictions but still wants tweaks for 2027. The stewards also reached a decision following the Piastri incident.

Championship Picture

Antonelli heads to Singapore as championship leader, but the what-might-have-been narrative is growing: F1.com has tallied just how many points Russell has lost to Mercedes' reliability woes this year. Up front, Jolyon Palmer argues Verstappen now has a car to match his immense form, though Red Bull's Laurent Mekies cautions it's "difficult to be on par with Mercedes consistently". F1.com's analysts also suggest the Sepang result hints at a close 2027 battle.

Race Weekend Preview

Marina Bay hosts its first sprint event, compressing an already punishing weekend — expect parc fermme decisions to carry huge weight on a street circuit that forgives nothing. Ferrari has abandoned its iconic red palette for a striking special-edition look, while Audi has revealed its own special livery. If you're betting, F1.com has broken down the markets' five favourites.

Colour from the week: Bottas cycled 350km from Sepang to Singapore rather than fly, Hamilton launched Plus44 in Singapore, and Ralf Schumacher predicts Lawson could lose his Racing Bulls seat to Nikola Tsolov. Look further ahead and Coulthard hints an African GP announcement is imminent, F2 and F3 confirmed their 2027 calendars with F3 heading to Canada, and Nike could return to F1 for the first time since the Schumacher era.