Verstappen makes triumphant return to Sepang in rain-hit Bahrain Grand Prix

 Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen wins on F1’s return to Sepang after 9 years, with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton joining him on the podium.

The victory was Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen’s first of the season and came at the same circuit where he won the last Malaysian Grand Prix in 2017. (EPA Images pic)

PETALING JAYA:

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen won a chaotic, rain-hit Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia today, picking up where he left off when Formula One last took place at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) nine years ago.

The Dutchman finished ahead of championship leader Kimi Antonelli, of Mercedes, while Ferarri’s Lewis Hamilton snatched third place from Isack Hadjar (Red Bull Racing) in the closing laps.

The victory was Verstappen’s first of the season and came at the same circuit where he won the last Malaysian Grand Prix in 2017.

The unusual nine-year gap between his consecutive wins at SIC echoed Nigel Mansell’s feat at Kyalami, where the Briton won the South African Grand Prix in 1985 and again when Formula One returned seven years later in 1992.

But Verstappen’s victory came only after a tropical downpour threw the start of the race into chaos.

Heavy rain and standing water forced organisers to delay the scheduled 3pm start, as marshals and track crews worked to clear large puddles around the circuit.

At one point, marshals could be seen waving to the packed grandstands as they continued clearing water from the track.

When the cars were finally sent out behind the safety car, the problems were far from over.

Hamilton dropped out of the formation queue after his Ferrari lost acceleration, forcing him to reset the car, leaving the seven-time world champion to make his way around Sepang virtually on his own.

Verstappen also encountered a technical problem, while Hadjar aquaplaned into the gravel during the troubled formation laps.

The aborted start produced the bizarre sight of cars out of their normal sequence, with the safety car at one stage caught among the field rather than leading it.

Race control eventually restored the original starting order before the race finally got under way more than 90 minutes later.

Verstappen lost the lead during the early stages but fought his way back to the front and gradually pulled clear.

Antonelli remained his closest challenger and took second, strengthening his position at the top of the drivers’ championship.

Hamilton, who had started alongside Verstappen on the front row, recovered from his extraordinary pre-race problems and moved past Hadjar with fewer than three laps remaining to secure the final podium place.

There was heartbreak, however, for Mercedes’ George Russell.

Russell was running among the leading group when a power unit problem forced him to pull over with about five laps remaining, ending what had been a strong recovery drive.

The race marked Formula One’s first appearance at Sepang since 2017, with the circuit hosting the relocated Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

The weekend drew a reported 261,000 spectators, while 561 Bahraini marshals and motorsport officials travelled to Malaysia to work alongside their Malaysian counterparts. - FMT