Red Bull’s Max Verstappen dominated to take his first pole position of the season during Qualifying at the 2026 F1 Malaysia weekend, full report below.
Kimi Antonelli led the way in the final practice session of the weekend earlier today, with Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar following closely behind. F1’s return to the Sepang International Circuit marks the sport’s first visit to the venue in nine years, with much of the grid experiencing the track for the first time.
After three practice sessions focused around learning the circuit and gathering data, tyre degradation remained a major talking point heading into Qualifying. However, with all three practice sessions now complete, attention turned to qualifying as we set the grid for Sunday’s race.
Q1
Both Haas drivers were first to line up at the end of the pit lane and head out for their first runs of the session. The first of the pair to set the benchmark was Esteban Ocon, who crossed the line with a 1:38.879. Next across the line, Ollie Bearman slotted in behind with a 1:38.994.
Soon after, the rest of the field began to follow suit. Both Mercedes drivers were next to set their first representative lap times of the session. A first effort from Antonelli saw the Italian shoot to the top with 1:37.041, while George Russell followed closely behind with a 1:37.264.
After an impressive outing in FP3, a 1:36.477 proved enough for Verstappen to relegate the Mercedes duo from the top spots, while Hadjar slotted into second with a 1:36.898. Meanwhile, both Ferraris opted for a set of medium tyres for their first runs of the session. A 1:36.730 from Charles Leclerc saw him briefly sit in second before Lewis Hamilton displaced him after posting a 1:36.595.
An underwhelming first lap from Lando Norris was only enough for sixth, while Oscar Piastri sat in fourth with a 1:36.852. As it stood, Verstappen, Hamilton, Leclerc, Piastri and Hadjar completed the top five.
While the top seven opted to remain in the pits, drivers further down the field headed back out on track for their final runs of the session. On their final runs, both Aston Martins managed to improve on their final run, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll through to the next part of Qualifying.
A final effort from Gabriel Bortoleto saw the Audi driver leap into the top ten with a 1:37.106, knocking out teammate Nico Hülkenberg out of Qualifying.
Out in Q1: Hülkenberg, Bearman, Ocon, Albon, Bottas, Perez
Q2
For the second part of Qualifying, Hadjar laid down the benchmark, crossing the line with a 1:36.192. The first driver to dip into the 1:35s was Verstappen, who shot to the top with a 1:35.696. Although Antonelli’s first lap was enough for second, the championship leader lost his time for track limits at Turn 6.
Leclerc sat in second after his first run, while Hamilton slotted in behind with a 1:36.032. While the rest of the field remained in the pits, Antonelli emerged on a fresh set of soft tyres for another run. The Italian lost time in the first two sectors but recovered with a purple final sector, crossing the line with a 1:35.959 to move into second.
Once again, Bortoleto improved on his final run to narrowly make it into the next part of Qualifying, pushing Liam Lawson into the elimination zone.
Out in Q2: Lawson, Alonso, Sainz, Stroll, Colapinto, Lindblad
Q3
The shootout for pole got underway as the final thirteen minutes of the session ticked down. However, the first driver across the line was Russell, who posted a 1:36.032. Both Red Bulls continued to showcase blistering one-lap pace as Hadjar shot to the top with a 1:35.558. Soon after, Verstappen’s first effort lit up the timesheets to take provisional pole with a 1:35.250, putting three tenths between himself and Hadjar.
With the track to himself, Antonelli’s first effort proved enough to move him up to third with a 1:35.631, while teammate Russell sat eighth. On their final runs of the session, most drivers were struggling to find any improvements. Meanwhile, Hamilton improved to go second with a 1:35.428, splitting the two Red Bulls.
However, Verstappen proved to be unstoppable around the Sepang International Circuit to take his first pole position of the 2026 F1 season. Behind him, Hamilton and Hadjar rounded out the top three.
