Max Verstappen takes pole, wins rain-hit Sepang race
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 4, 2026
Sepang practice pace
Formula 1 returned to Malaysia at Sepang for the first time since 2017, and the weekend immediately turned into a test of speed and tire management. Kimi Antonelli set the mark in final practice with a lap of 1:36.302, 0.278 seconds ahead of Verstappen, while George Russell finished fourth, Charles Leclerc fifth and Lewis Hamilton sixth. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri followed in seventh and eighth, Franco Colapinto was ninth and Arvid Lindblad 10th. Final practice also stopped briefly after debris from Oliver Bearman‘s Haas brought out a red flag. Verstappen then answered in qualifying, where he beat Hamilton by 0.298 seconds. Antonelli was promoted to third on the starting grid after Hadjar’s penalty. The pace figures reflected the weekend’s tire-management focus. Sepang’s rough surface and hot, humid conditions made tire wear a central theme all weekend, and Russell said tire degradation would make race pace crucial.
Sepang rain delay
The race itself turned messy before the lights ever went out. Heavy rain delayed the start, then the race was suspended on the formation laps. Verstappen, Hamilton and other drivers reported throttle and acceleration problems before the race resumed, which added another layer of uncertainty to a weekend already shaped by the weather and the track surface. The field went back to the pits before the original grid order was restored, and that reset gave everyone a brief pause after the stop-start beginning. The opening phase of the race never settled into a clean rhythm. Drivers had to deal with wet conditions, the threat of more rain and the same tire concerns that had dominated practice. The rain did not erase those concerns. It only made the challenge more complicated. The combination of delays, mechanical complaints and changing track conditions meant the race started with little margin for error.
Verstappen race control
Once the racing began in earnest, Verstappen made the most of his position. He moved from third to the lead after racing began and controlled the front of the field from there. By lap 22 of 55, Verstappen led Antonelli by 4.9 seconds, with Russell in third. Hamilton also dealt with rear-tire wear during the race, but he stayed in the fight long enough to finish third. Antonelli took second, and Verstappen crossed the line first. The result backed up a weekend that started with Verstappen near the top of the times in final practice and then put him on the front row in qualifying. It also fit the shape of the race, where tire wear and track conditions kept forcing drivers to manage pace instead of simply attack. Russell had pointed to degradation as a key factor before the race, and the final result reflected that reality. Verstappen handled the opening pressure, built a gap and held it. Antonelli stayed close enough to secure second. Hamilton completed the podium in third after a race that asked every driver to fight the conditions as much as the competition.
