Verstappen controlled the session, and his final lap was the best by almost three tenths. Hamilton put his Ferrari second, the first time the two former title rivals have shared the front row since Hungary 2023. Hadjar qualified third in the second Red Bull, ahead of Antonelli and Charles Leclerc.

The pole means a lot to Red Bull. The team started 2026 with its own power unit for the first time and struggled early in the year. “It’s fantastic. We have been trying many Grands Prix to get pole,” Verstappen said. “To finally get it from where we started the season, pretty incredible.” He added: “From where we come from in the beginning of the year, with all the difficulties that we had, and to get the first pole with our own engine, it’s something special.”

Verstappen also credited tyre management in the heat, saying it was easy to overheat the tyres on a qualifying lap. And he was clear about Sunday’s target: “We’re here to win, we’re not here to, of course, just grab podiums.”

Lawson just missed Q3 in 11th, edged out by Bortoleto. In Q1, Nico Hülkenberg, Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez were eliminated. Colapinto and Lindblad, both facing grid penalties, didn’t set times in Q2. Our F1 qualifying explainer covers how the format works.

Three drivers have grid penalties, and the order behind the top two changes as a result:

Hadjar’s penalty is the most costly. A Red Bull that qualified third now starts eighth, which also helps Antonelli move up a place to third. For the background to Colapinto’s penalty, see our report on the Baku weekend’s grid penalties.

Mercedes arrived at Sepang with its biggest upgrade package in months, a special Petronas livery for its title sponsor’s home race, and the championship leader in form. Antonelli even topped the final practice session. Qualifying didn’t follow the script.

Russell explained the problem simply: “It’s a very demanding circuit on the tyres, the tarmac is all broke up, it’s extremely rough, it’s so hot out there and the tyres are going through hell.” Team principal Toto Wolff said the team had lost straight-line performance and was fighting understeer at Turn 2, but defended the new parts: “We still believe that the upgrade works. We just need to understand why not here.”

Antonelli’s session was also compromised. A lap in Q2 was deleted for exceeding track limits, which forced Mercedes to use an extra set of soft tyres to get through. That left him with only one new set for Q3. Fourth was a decent result under the circumstances. Our explainer on F1 track limits explains how lap deletions work.

Antonelli leads Russell by 66 points (302 to 236) going into the race. Unlike Baku, where Russell started on pole and Antonelli 16th, this time the championship leader starts four places ahead of his team-mate. If the order stays as it is, Antonelli would stretch his lead again after Russell’s win in Baku.

A 75-point gap with Singapore’s Sprint weekend next would put Antonelli well on course for an early title. For Russell, a recovery from seventh is essential. Our analysis of how Antonelli can clinch the title and our Singapore title watch cover what comes next.

Verstappen was careful not to get ahead of himself, saying a lot will need to go right for Red Bull on Sunday. The biggest factor is tyre wear: Sepang’s abrasive surface and high temperatures punish tyres, and a strategy that looks after them could beat outright pace. The long run to Turn 1 also makes the start important, with Hamilton alongside and Antonelli right behind.

Ferrari looks like the main threat. Hamilton said Ferrari had “hit the sweet spot” during practice, and Leclerc topped the second session. McLaren starts fifth and sixth with Norris and Piastri, and Hadjar’s Red Bull from eighth could move forward quickly if the car is as fast as qualifying suggested.

Race start times

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