Verstappen ‘incredibly proud’ of Red Bull after historic win at Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia

Max Verstappen was left feeling “incredibly proud” of his Red Bull team after claiming his and the squad’s maiden victory of the season at a dramatic Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with the win also making history as the first for Red Bull Ford Powertrains.

While Verstappen had looked in commanding form when he sealed pole position during Saturday’s Qualifying, the Dutchman had to contend with various events in Sunday’s race, which was delayed in getting underway due to heavy rain.

With several drivers struggling to maintain speed and falling out of position during the initial formation lap, this led to a suspended start procedure – and when the Grand Prix did eventually begin in mixed conditions, Verstappen was overtaken by the Mercedes pair of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

The Red Bull driver ultimately made his way back into the lead, however, and maintained control across a late-race Virtual Safety Car and full Safety Car phase to secure his and the team’s debut win of 2026.

Asked after the race if his 72nd victory had been his sweetest, Verstappen smiled: “It’s a really nice one, after the year that we’ve had and the progression that we’ve made. I’m incredibly proud of everyone, and it’s just super nice to win here.”

The 29-year-old went on to discuss the challenges that he experienced en route to the chequered flag.

“It was very hectic with a lot of different things in the start,” he explained. “No power, so you have to wait for the power to kick in. But then we made the right call with the intermediate [tyres], and after that, step by step, we moved our way forward.

“From there onwards we could do our own race until the end again, of course with the Safety Car, but we kept it all under control.”

Verstappen also took a moment to reflect on the achievement of scoring Red Bull Powertrains’ maiden win in only their first year as a power unit supplier.

“It's incredible,” the Dutch driver conceded. “I think already, of course, we started, and also to win our first race in our first year with our own power unit is pretty impressive.”