Formula 1 is holding the Bahrain Grand Prix today, which, due to a schedule change, is taking place at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. This is the first return to Sepang for Formula 1 since 2017.
Max Verstappen starts from pole position, his first pole of the season. He is joined on the front row by Lewis Hamilton. The championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, starts third following a penalty for Isack Hadjar. Behind Antonelli are lined up Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Following a long period with the safety car, the race will finally resume. Russell’s car has failed, and he is forced to withdraw five laps from the end. Norris made a mistake and went off the track into the gravel. The recovery vehicle had to come out onto the track, so the safety car was deployed instead of the virtual safety car.
Antonelli went into the pits; there is no change in position at the top, with Verstappen leading. Albon’s gearbox failed, and he had to park by the side of the track. Verstappen took advantage of the virtual safety car period to go into the pits, losing position as a result. Antonelli is now leading, but on much older tyres. Two Red Bulls and two Ferraris have gone into the pits, while two McLarens and two Mercedes remain on the track.
Alonso took the small opening provided by Lindblad, completed the overtake, and entered the points-scoring positions. Alonso is now in 11th place, close to 10th, which would earn him points. Russell and Hamilton went into the pits for a tyre change in the 33rd lap, while Verstappen and Antonelli did so in the following lap. Piastri is now sixth, Norris eighth, and Leclerk, having gone into the pits, is now in 11th place.
The intense battle between Antonelli, Russell and Verstappen at the restart lasted half a lap. Verstappen now leads, with Russell second and Antonelli third. Bottas went off into the gravel, activating the safety car. Drivers on wet-weather tyres benefited, as the track remained sufficiently wet. The greatest losses were suffered by Norris and the Ferrari drivers, while two Mercedes drivers gained. Antonelli is first, Russell second, and Verstappen third.
Some drivers are on dry-weather tyres, others on wet-weather tyres. The race will begin at 10:33 local time. The track is now effectively dry, which has caused dissatisfaction among fans who wished to see a wet-weather race. Numerous criticisms have been directed at the modern cars, whose technology is not suited to driving in the rain. Drivers are returning to the pits; there will be no race start.
