Thunder, Crawling Cars And A Hamilton Podium From 18th: The Malaysia GP Was Pure Chaos

Stop scrolling, because Formula 1 just served up what might be the craziest race of the season — and it started with cars literally crawling around behind the safety car. Yes, really.

Max Verstappen took Red Bull's first win of 2026 in Malaysia, but honestly? The win is almost the SIDE story.

The Tea ☕

• Verstappen won a rain-lashed, twice-delayed Bahrain GP at Sepang for Red Bull's first victory of the year, his 72nd career win
• Lewis Hamilton gambled on the wrong tyres, fell to the back, then fought all the way to third
• George Russell's engine died with five laps to go, and Kimi Antonelli now leads him by 84 points

Before The Race Even Started, It Got Weird

First, a torrential tropical downpour (complete with thunder and lightning) delayed the start, according to Sky Sports.

Then came the formation laps. Verstappen reported power problems on the radio, Hamilton suffered throttle trouble, and cars started bunching up and stopping around the track. BBC Sport says initial indications pointed to a software issue, possibly linked to an update the FIA issued to teams during the delay. The FIA hadn't responded to requests for comment at the time of writing, so treat that as a lead, not a verdict.

The result: cars sent back to the pit lane in a bizarre order, a second, even longer delay, and a rulebook that BBC Sport notes simply didn't cover the situation. The chequered flag fell almost three and a half hours after the scheduled start time.

Hamilton's Tyre Gamble Went Very, Very Wrong (Then Very, Very Right)

Thirteen of the 22 drivers, including both Ferraris and both McLarens, bet on slick tyres for the restart. The track was NOT ready.

Hamilton dropped to the back, reportedly down to 18th and nearly a minute adrift. Race over, right?

Wrong. He told the Ferrari pit wall to stay out and wait for the track to dry, per Sky Sports. A safety car closed the field up, and he began picking off car after car. After a late safety car let him fit fresh softs, he passed Red Bull's Isack Hadjar for the final podium spot. It ended Ferrari's five-race podium drought, with Charles Leclerc finishing fourth.

Sky's Martin Brundle called it "one of the craziest Formula 1 races I have ever seen." We cannot argue.

Verstappen Said: Anyway

Verstappen started on pole but was jumped by both Mercedes at the start. He then calmly reclaimed the lead and disappeared into a race of his own, as BBC Sport puts it. It's his first win since last year's Abu Dhabi finale.

Russell's Nightmare

George Russell was running third when his power unit failed under the late safety car. A week after a dominant win in Baku gave him a glimmer of hope, BBC Sport says it has "almost certainly" ended his title fight.

Antonelli finished second and now leads by 84 points with six or seven races to go.

The Other Moments

• Lando Norris appeared to be distracted by Russell's stopped car, took to the gravel at Turn One, and dropped from eighth to 11th before recovering to ninth
• Fernando Alonso grabbed eighth, Aston Martin's best result of a tough year
• Valtteri Bottas' spin brought out the first safety car

F1 now heads straight to Singapore for a sprint weekend, with the race on Sunday 11 October.

So, be honest: was Hamilton's recovery drive the highlight, or is the real story the formation-lap software meltdown? And should the FIA be answering some questions? Sound off below.

Sources: BBC Sport | Sky Sports