Red Bull Racing’s four-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen has stormed to pole position for tomorrow’s F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026,  proving he remains the master of Sepang's challenging circuit nine years after his last victory there. He clocked 1 minute 35.130 seconds to edge out Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, reported Reuters.

Set to start in row two are Red Bull Racing’s Isack Hadjar and Mercedes’s world championship leader Kimi Antonelli, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s defending world champion Lando Norris will begin alongside one another on row three.

Row four features McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Mercedes’s George Russell, while on row five are Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Gabriel Bortoleto.

Dropping out of the fight for pole in Q2 were Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Williams’ Carlos Sainz, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, Aloine’s Franco Colapinto, and Racing Bulls’s Arvid Lindblad.

Verstappen endured hot and humid conditions to best the star-studded, 22-car F1 field with a blistering fastest lap time of one minute 35.130 seconds in today’s Q3 session of qualifying at Sepang International Circuit, reported The Gulf Daily News, our sister publication, from Sepang circuit.

He narrowly beat out Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by 0.298s to secure the leading grid position for tomorrow’s 56-lap race, which is scheduled to flag off at 10am, Bahrain time.

Verstappen's ​team mate Isack Hadjar was third fastest but will start eighth due to a five-place grid penalty, with championship leader Kimi ​Antonelli moved up to third for Mercedes alongside Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

Verstappen was the last driver to win a ⁠Grand Prix in Malaysia in 2017, in what was his second career victory, before the race was taken off the calendar ​after the government said it could not justify the costs, according to the Reuters report.

Nine years and four championships later, the Dutchman became the first driver this ​season to put a car without a Mercedes engine on pole.

In Q1, eliminated were Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg, Haas drivers Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon, Williams’s Alexander Albon, and Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.

"It's fantastic, we've been trying for many Grands Prix to get more, sometimes a bit closer to the others," said Verstappen as he eyes his first win of the season. "But to finally get it from where we started the ​season, pretty incredible," he added.