Best Ever Bahrain GP… Wasn't in Bahrain | 2026 Bahrain GP in Malaysia Review

The best Bahrain Grand Prix ever… and it wasn't even in Bahrain. Sepang's return delivered mixed conditions, wild strategy and Verstappen's first win of 2026 – once F1 had plugged laptops into the cars to get them moving.

In this episode, Tom and Chris break down a chaotic, rain-hit race at Sepang – the formation-lap power failures and mid-race software fix, Max Verstappen's first win of the season and Red Bull Powertrains' first victory, George Russell's late retirement leaving Kimi Antonelli 84 points clear, and Lewis Hamilton's recovery from a minute down to the podium. Plus Fred Vasseur's "vote of confidence", the 500 marshals flown in from Bahrain, driver and move of the day, and our Singapore GP preview and predictions ahead of the first Marina Bay sprint.

0:00 Intro0:17 F1 returns to Sepang5:11 Formation-lap power failures & the mid-race software fix10:47 Verstappen's first win of 2026 & Red Bull Powertrains17:15 Russell retires – is the title fight over?21:02 Ferrari's tyre gamble & Hamilton's recovery25:41 Vasseur's vote of confidence28:29 McLaren struggles & Norris's reprimand31:16 Racing Bulls, Aston Martin & Williams34:47 Driver & move of the day40:12 Organisation, 500 marshals & the "Bahrain" GP46:15 Predictions & fantasy league results48:59 Singapore GP preview54:41 Singapore predictions58:06 Inbox

🏁 Singapore is a sprint weekend – predictions close Friday 9 October at 1:30pm UK (sprint qualifying). Get yours in at https://backofthegrid.com, where you'll also find our Grid Rival fantasy leagues and the season standings.

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Back of the Grid is a weekly F1 podcast by fans, for fans – race reviews, previews, predictions and plenty of opinions.

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