A complicated and delayed start, rainy weather (at least for a few laps!) and multiple safety cars made the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia a real success.
But the race also gave rise to some controversial storylines that our contributors need no prompting to break down in our post-race verdict feature.
This nonsense needs to be sorted
Glenn Freeman
Among all the new nonsense (more on that later) that F1 has come up with before the race begins, there is one longer-standing nonsense that really needs to be addressed.
Delaying the safety car restart so that lagging cars can overtake the field is ridiculously inefficient.
F1 bosses have told us repeatedly this year that what most fans care about is seeing the action on track. So why do we have a process that delays and reduces the amount of action fans can see?
Once the track is clear, the priority should be to get everyone back into the race, without giving a boost to those who are having a bad day.
I totally understand the desire to not have lapped cars in the middle of battles for major spots, so just do the obvious thing and move them to the back. If that makes it nearly impossible for them to ever get back into the lead lap, so be it – bad luck for getting passed in the first place.
At least the TV broadcasters gave us the circuit map to show us where all the cars were while Verstappen & co. continued to move slowly. But seeing how long it would take for this process to unravel made it even clearer that something had to change.
Right now, the most important action on the ground is delayed due to a process aimed at helping people who are unfortunately the least relevant at that moment. This doesn’t make any sense.
The lost art of running in the rain
Ben Anderson
My biggest takeaway from this race is that it’s a shame that F1 is now so reluctant – almost completely allergic, in my opinion – to racing in the rain.
Aside from the fact that these powertrains without 2026 MGU-H seem incapable of operating properly at the kind of low revs you naturally descend to in such low-grip conditions, F1 simply seems to be completely regulating wet weather racing.
OK, we had a handful of laps after the eventual start of the race where intermediates were necessary, but only because the outdated Sepang track secretly held water that was only released onto the track surface when the cars started going at high speed. And it only lasted a short time before everyone had to converge on the slicks.
This should have been a whole new challenge for F1 2026, our first real wet race of the season, but instead we had nearly two hours of delays, track sweepers, a pair of chaotic formation laps, more delays and even more laps behind the safety car before the race finally started.
The delay was too long and we found ourselves with a start in mixed conditions, but above all a dry race. I think it’s a real shame considering that wet weather driving used to be one of the main tests of skill in F1.
Some of the best performances in F1 history have been achieved in such conditions – think Ayrton Senna’s maiden victory at Estoril in 1985 or Max Verstappen’s outside pass on Nico Rosberg at Interlagos in 2016.
It would be good to also consider the possibility of this kind of racing in 2026.
F1 is too confusing for its own good
Josh Suttill
This weekend proved that F1 has become too confusing for its own good in many ways.
Crucially, these powertrains, which had already proven too complicated earlier in the year, with quirks causing crashes and deciding pole positions, have added another reason why F1 isn’t abandoning them in favor of a simpler formula.
On top of that, you once again have TV direction making a good ride more frustrating than it needs to be – I believe, in part because of its over-complexity.
There is a strong desire to show off the interesting innovations – like the picture-in-picture on the timing tower and drone shots like the one on the exit of Turn 9 at Sepang – but these feel like they come at the expense of good grounding.
When things get complicated…
Jack Benyon
Max Verstappen was absolutely exceptional today. Like, next level exceptional.
There were times when, fighting for sixth, seventh, eighth, etc. Earlier in the season, Verstappen was only about a tenth ahead of his teammate, or beaten by them on rare occasions.
Isack Hadjar may have had problems today, but he was up to three seconds per lap slower than Verstappen at times.
I know this isn’t news to anyone, but it’s a reminder of what you need when you’re in a position where your car can win and why you still want someone like Max Verstappen in your car. You need him driving and performing like he did today, like his pass on Antonelli in turns 1-3 early in the race and then his seismic pace up front.
Lewis Hamilton had a very different day but similar performances. He was 15 seconds ahead of Leclerc before the final safety car restart, which compressed the order.
After having the adversity of being on the wrong tire and seeing your best start for months slip away, his pace was incredible and good enough to go from 16th to fifth in about 10 laps. No one else has achieved such a feat, including his teammate.
Often the conditions and drama overshadow the individual performance needed to take advantage of these unique circumstances.
…the most difficult ones, go for it.
Please keep tracks like this on the calendar!
Gary Anderson
The chaos, potential rain before the start led to strange decisions and apparent confusion on the part of the governing body.
In the end everything went well and we had an exciting race. In reality, the top 10 was more or less normal.
The old man, Fernando Alonso, just showed that with a little help to even out the power deficit, he can still pull off a decent result. Congratulations to the drivers and team for holding on, they are probably as happy as Red Bull with their performance this weekend.
After a poor start, Verstappen drove exceptionally well and he seemed really happy (for a change) with the latest package. I’m not going to call them “updates”, because I think Red Bull has simply put all the pieces of the puzzle that are these 2026 cars more or less in the right place.
I think Isack Hadjar’s performance since his return has proven that, and I just wonder if Liam Lawson being brought into the mothership for these three Racing Bulls races has actually helped them find a new setup direction?
It seemed early on that Ferrari had done another “Ferrari” and wasted another race. When the tire covers came off and they were on slicks, it didn’t look good – however, Hamilton, who was over a minute behind the leader at one point, held on on soft tires for around 32 laps.
This saved him a pit stop and ultimately put his car on the podium. Truly impressive and controlled driving, aided by the virtual and full safety cars.
Leclerc made an extra stop early on for a new front wing but still managed to finish fourth, so perhaps another week where Fred Vasseur’s position will be debated: did the poor tire choice at the start of the race cost them a potential victory, or will it be overshadowed by the decent result at the end? Time will tell, but I’m sure it will spark debate before and in Singapore next week.
To sum up the return to Sepang for the Bahrain GP – please, please, please, F1 and the FIA don’t throw away these old school tracks just for the money offered by new tracks that are featureless and follow the leaders.
Gn sports
