Verstappen beats Antonelli to win F1's Bahrain GP in Malaysia as Russell retires
SEPANG, Malaysia (AP) — Max Verstappen took his first win of the year but a retirement for George Russell handed a huge title boost to Kimi Antonelli at Formula 1's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Sunday.
Verstappen was leading from Antonelli and Russell behind the safety car with five laps to go when Russell suddenly pulled over in his Mercedes. That means Antonelli further stretches his big standings lead over his teammate Russell.
Mercedes told Antonelli over the radio it appeared Russell had suffered a power unit problem.
Antonelli finished second and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton passed Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar for third.
The first wet-weather race for F1 in 2026 started more than 90 minutes later than planned. The start was first delayed 40 minutes for heavy rain, then suspended again when cars had apparent software problems on the formation lap.
When it finally did get under way, Verstappen was slow off the line and lost places to Antonelli and Russell. He chased down Russell and then got past Antonelli in a side-by-side fight after a safety-car restart.
The race was relocated because of the Iran war, becoming F1's first event at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia since 2017.
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