Max Verstappen finally returned to the top of the Formula 1 qualifying order, taking his first pole position of the 2026 season after dominating every segment of qualifying at the Sepang International Circuit.
The Red Bull driver led both Q1 and Q2 before producing the fastest lap of the session in Q3, beating Lewis Hamilton by 0.298 seconds with a final time of 1:35.130.
Verstappen looked in control throughout qualifying, and despite the intense competition behind him, nobody could match his final effort when it mattered most.
Hamilton delivered his strongest qualifying performance of the weekend to secure a front-row start, while Isack Hadjar initially put both Red Bull cars in contention for the top two rows.
However, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc eventually displaced Hadjar from second place, while Kimi Antonelli was also unable to break into the front row. Hadjar will nevertheless drop five places on the grid because of his penalty, meaning his third-place qualifying result will become an eighth-place starting position.
Antonelli will start fourth alongside Leclerc, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri lining up sixth and seventh for McLaren. George Russell could manage only eighth, ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, who completed the top 10.
Q1 – VERSTAPPEN LEADS AS BOTH ASTON MARTINS REACH Q2
With Red Bull fastest in FP1, Ferrari topping FP2 and Mercedes leading FP3, qualifying was expected to be a closely fought battle for pole.
Sepang had not hosted a Formula 1 qualifying session since 2017, and the opening phase began cautiously when the lights went green at 16:00 local time. Haas was among the first teams to send its cars onto the circuit.
Most drivers initially chose soft tyres, while Ferrari and Audi opted for the medium compound. Antonelli established the early benchmark with a 1:37.041, but Verstappen immediately responded with a lap around half a second faster.
His Red Bull team-mate briefly moved into second, giving the team an early one-two before Ferrari’s medium-tyre strategy began to show its potential. Hamilton and Leclerc both moved into the top three.
As the clock wound down, Haas found itself under pressure. Oliver Bearman locked up at Turn 1 during his second attempt, while Williams’ Alex Albon, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and both Cadillac drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, were also facing elimination.
Traffic improved during the final minutes as several front-running teams remained in their garages. Alpine attempted to take advantage, with Gasly providing a slipstream to Franco Colapinto in an effort to help his team-mate progress.
Stroll produced a strong final lap to climb to 11th, while Bortoleto continued to impress by jumping into eighth, helped by the fastest first sector of the session.
Hulkenberg, however, narrowly missed out on Q2 by just 0.087 seconds.
The German was joined by Bearman, Ocon, Albon, Bottas and Perez in the elimination zone. Bottas could only report that the car was simply at its limit, while Ocon questioned Haas’ timing after being sent out too early.
Eliminated in Q1: Nico Hulkenberg, Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez.
Q2 – VERSTAPPEN AGAIN ON TOP AS LAWSON MISSES OUT
With a place in the top 10 at stake, the remaining drivers focused on producing two competitive laps.
Verstappen once again immediately set the pace, becoming the first driver to break into the 1:35s with a 1:35.696.
Leclerc followed just two-tenths behind, while Antonelli initially had his lap deleted for exceeding track limits. The Mercedes driver was therefore forced back onto the circuit with a fresh set of soft tyres during the final five minutes.
His subsequent lap was enough to put him second behind Verstappen, but the pressure was now firmly on the midfield runners.
Racing Bulls faced a difficult situation. Arvid Lindblad was already certain to start from the back of the grid following a power-unit change, so instead of chasing a representative lap for himself, he focused on helping team-mate Liam Lawson with the tow.
That assistance helped Lawson climb into the top 10, but another impressive performance from Bortoleto pushed the Racing Bulls driver down to 11th.
Bortoleto’s lap was enough to beat Lawson by 0.209 seconds, sending the New Zealander out of qualifying.
Lawson was joined by Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, Colapinto and Lindblad in the Q2 elimination zone.
Colapinto’s starting position will also be affected by penalties carried over from Baku and a new engine, while Lindblad already faces a grid penalty because of his power-unit change.
Eliminated in Q2: Liam Lawson, Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, Franco Colapinto, Arvid Lindblad.
Q3 – VERSTAPPEN FINALLY CLAIMS HIS FIRST POLE OF 2026
The final 10 drivers featured representatives from Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren, alongside Gasly and the impressive Bortoleto.
The main question was whether anyone could finally knock Verstappen off the top of the timing screens.
With track temperatures still high, Russell was the first of the leading runners to set a time, stopping the clock at 1:36.032.
Hadjar quickly went faster before Hamilton and Leclerc moved into second and third.
Verstappen then delivered another exceptional lap to establish provisional pole, putting around three-tenths between himself and his nearest challenger.
Piastri split the Ferraris, while Norris settled into sixth. Antonelli waited until the other drivers had completed their first runs before making his own challenge for pole, but even the Mercedes driver could not get close enough to Verstappen.
Verstappen wasn’t finished.
On his final attempt, the Dutchman improved again to 1:35.130, securing pole position by 0.298 seconds over Hamilton and ending a long wait for his first qualifying victory of the 2026 season.
Hamilton’s final lap was his best of the weekend and secured a front-row starting position.
Hadjar slipped to third and, following his five-place grid penalty, will start the race from P8.
Antonelli will therefore start fourth, with Leclerc fifth. Norris and Piastri occupy sixth and seventh for McLaren, while Russell’s significant deficit left him eighth on the qualifying classification.
Gasly and Bortoleto completed the top 10.
For Verstappen, it was a statement qualifying performance: three sessions, three fastest times, and finally the first pole position of his 2026 campaign.
Adhe is part of the 88 Eight Box Editorial Team, covering JDM culture, motorsport, automotive technology, and industry news. The team focuses on delivering original automotive stories, reviews, and insights for enthusiasts worldwide.
