Formula 1 action is underway as the F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE coverage continues. After a rain-affected delay, the race has now got underway, with Max Verstappen leading the field and the drivers battling through changing track conditions.
Auto India Daily is bringing you the latest confirmed developments from the race, including key incidents, position changes, tyre strategies and results as they happen.
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This F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE blog will be updated with timestamped developments throughout the race. All updates will be based only on confirmed information available at the time.
Also Read: F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia Qualifying Results: Verstappen Takes Pole, Hamilton P2; Hadjar P3
F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE Updates
Here are the latest developments from the F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE, with each update added as the action unfolds.
15:53 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Final Top 10
Hamilton finishes third after his late charge, while Norris misses out on eighth as Alonso holds him off to the chequered flag.
15:53 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Verstappen Wins, Hamilton Takes Podium
Chequered flag: Max Verstappen has won the chaotic F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE race, beating Kimi Antonelli to claim victory for Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton completes the podium in third, delivering a remarkable recovery drive after Ferrari’s early tyre gamble left him deep in the field.
Top 10: Verstappen, Antonelli, Hamilton, Leclerc, Hadjar, Piastri, Lawson, Alonso, Norris and Lindblad.
15:50 — F1 Bahrain GP LIVE: Verstappen Starts Final Lap With 1.4s Lead
Lap 55/55: Max Verstappen begins the final lap with a 1.4-second advantage over Kimi Antonelli, with the Red Bull driver closing in on victory.
Further back, Lando Norris has climbed to ninth and is now chasing Fernando Alonso for eighth place on the final lap.
15:49 — F1 Bahrain GP LIVE: Hamilton Settles for Third as Antonelli Holds Second
Lap 54/55: Lewis Hamilton is unable to close the gap to Kimi Antonelli and now looks set to finish third.
Antonelli remains around one second behind race leader Max Verstappen, but will need a mistake from the Red Bull driver to mount a final-lap challenge for the win.
15:47 — F1 Bahrain GP LIVE: Hamilton Moves Into Third
Lap 53/55: Lewis Hamilton makes the move on Isack Hadjar around the outside on the run down to Turn 1, completing a crucial overtake for third place.
Hamilton is now on course for a podium finish, capping a remarkable recovery drive after starting on the intermediate tyres.
15:45 — Verstappen Holds Firm as Piastri Retakes Sixth
Lap 52/55: The race has resumed and Max Verstappen gets a strong restart, immediately opening up a gap over Kimi Antonelli as he heads into the final three laps.
Behind the leaders, Oscar Piastri has regained sixth place from Liam Lawson after the McLaren driver fought back following Lawson’s pass. It remains a close battle as the race enters its final stages.
15:43 — F1 Bahrain GP LIVE: Russell Retires With Suspected Power Unit Failure
George Russell appears to have suffered a suspected power unit failure, bringing his race to a premature end while running in a strong position. His Mercedes has now been removed from the circuit by the marshals.
Kimi Antonelli was heard asking “What happened?” over team radio before his engineer informed him that the issue was believed to be related to Russell’s power unit. The retirement is a major blow for Russell and could have serious consequences for his championship hopes.
With Russell out, Max Verstappen remains in control at the front, while Antonelli now inherits a stronger position as the Mercedes fight continues. The race is heading into its closing laps with the championship picture potentially shifting dramatically.
15:40 — F1 Bahrain GP LIVE: Perez Finally Clears Safety Car, Lapped Cars Rejoin The Fight
Sergio Perez has finally managed to get past the Safety Car as the race moves towards its closing stages. After being allowed to unlap himself, the Cadillac driver can now begin closing the gap to the back of the field.
Carlos Sainz and Gabriel Bortoleto have also been released from the Safety Car queue and are now able to unlap themselves. Perez, however, still has more work to do as he needs to catch the back of the pack before attempting to make up further ground.
Up front, Max Verstappen continues to lead Kimi Antonelli, with George Russell running third. Isack Hadjar is fourth, while Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc occupy fifth and sixth respectively.
15:27 — F1 Bahrain GP LIVE: Verstappen Pits From The Lead, Hamilton And Leclerc Also Stop
Max Verstappen has made his first pit stop from the race lead, with Red Bull taking advantage of his sizeable gap over Kimi Antonelli. The stop was executed cleanly, allowing Verstappen to rejoin just ahead of the Mercedes driver and retain the lead.
Mercedes has kept both cars out on track for now, while Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have also made their latest stops. Hamilton drops to P6, with Leclerc moving down to P9 after both Ferrari drivers switched to used soft tyres.
Hamilton is now around 13 seconds behind Isack Hadjar, but he has much fresher rubber and could potentially close that gap quickly in the remaining laps. The strategy battle is now becoming crucial as the race enters its final phase.
15:00 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Leclerc Pits for Fresh Soft Tyres
Charles Leclerc has made a pit stop on Lap 29, with his soft tyres 10 laps fresher than Lewis Hamilton’s. He rejoins in P13, with Ferrari appearing to be looking for an undercut on Oscar Piastri.
14:59 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Verstappen Extends Lead to Eight Seconds
Max Verstappen has extended his lead to eight seconds on Lap 28, continuing to run strongly at the front.
Lewis Hamilton is also closing in on Isack Hadjar, with the gap now down to just over eight seconds. Hamilton has opened a 10-second advantage over Liam Lawson behind him.
14:56 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Russell Told to Extend Stint
George Russell has been told to extend his current stint on Lap 27 due to the threat of rain. He is now two seconds behind teammate Kimi Antonelli after briefly closing the gap following Antonelli’s pit-lane bollard incident.
Lewis Hamilton is also closing in on Isack Hadjar, with the gap reduced to around 10 seconds. Hamilton has been asked to make his soft tyres last in case more rain arrives.
14:53 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Antonelli Hits Pit Lane Bollard
Kimi Antonelli has hit the pit entry bollard on Lap 25 after going too deep into the final corner. He has asked the team to check the front wing, although the car appears to be okay.
Meanwhile, rain has been detected around 10km away from the circuit, although it is reportedly not as heavy as before. George Russell has also dropped more than two seconds behind Antonelli.
14:48 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Hamilton Moves Into Fifth
Lewis Hamilton continues his charge as he passes Liam Lawson to move into fifth place. He now has an 11-second gap to Isack Hadjar in fourth.
At the front, Max Verstappen has extended his lead to five seconds over Kimi Antonelli, with George Russell a further second behind.
14:44 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Hamilton Moves Up to Seventh
Lewis Hamilton has passed Arvid Lindblad on Lap 20 to move into seventh place. His next target is Esteban Ocon ahead.
Kimi Antonelli has also been told to preserve his tyres as Mercedes considers a different approach. He is now just seven-tenths behind teammate George Russell in the fight for second.
14:42 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Antonelli Closes In on Russell
Kimi Antonelli is closing in on George Russell for second place on Lap 19, with just one second separating the two Mercedes drivers. Antonelli says he has more pace, but Mercedes faces a decision with both drivers fighting for the World Championship.
Further back, Esteban Ocon is holding off Arvid Lindblad, Oscar Piastri and Lewis Hamilton, with the order remaining unchanged on Lap 18.
14:40 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Verstappen Extends Lead as Hamilton Climbs to Ninth
Max Verstappen has opened up a 2.2-second lead over George Russell on Lap 17 after setting the new fastest lap. Kimi Antonelli is now matching Russell’s pace after a difficult restart.
Lewis Hamilton has gained two more places and moved up to ninth after Gabriel Bortoleto pitted and Hamilton passed Nico Hulkenberg. He is now closing in on Oscar Piastri.
14:37 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Verstappen Builds Lead Over Russell
Max Verstappen has extended his lead to 1.5 seconds over George Russell on Lap 15, with Kimi Antonelli a further 1.3 seconds behind. The Red Bull is running soft tyres against the Mercedes cars on mediums.
Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris have continued their progress, moving up to P11 and P12 after passing Alex Albon and Lance Stroll. Charles Leclerc has also climbed to P14.
14:32 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Verstappen Takes the Lead on Restart
Max Verstappen has taken the lead from Kimi Antonelli on Lap 13 after a wheel-to-wheel battle into Turn 1. George Russell also moved ahead of Antonelli to take second, leaving Verstappen leading from Russell.
Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris have gained positions as well, moving up to P13 and P14 respectively.
14:31 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Antonelli Leads Verstappen as Race Resumes
Kimi Antonelli leads the field, with Max Verstappen second and George Russell third. Isack Hadjar is fourth, followed by Liam Lawson, Esteban Ocon, Arvid Lindblad, Carlos Sainz, Gabriel Bortoleto and Oscar Piastri completing the top 10.
14:29 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Antonelli Leads on Mediums as Tyre Strategies Split
Kimi Antonelli leads on the medium tyres, with Max Verstappen second on the softs and George Russell third on the mediums. Isack Hadjar runs fourth on softs, while Liam Lawson is fifth on hards.
Lewis Hamilton remains 15th and is the only driver yet to make a pit stop, while Charles Leclerc is 17th on the softs.
14:23 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Antonelli Defends Lead From Verstappen
Kimi Antonelli is defending the lead from Max Verstappen on Lap 9, covering the inside into Turn 1 to keep the Red Bull behind. Both drivers are sliding through the corners as they battle for the lead.
Nico Hulkenberg has become the first driver to switch from intermediate tyres to slicks.
14:20 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Verstappen Closes In on Antonelli
Max Verstappen is now within one second of race leader Kimi Antonelli on Lap 8, with the Red Bull showing strong pace despite significant tyre degradation.
Charles Leclerc has also passed Lewis Hamilton for P17 after switching to intermediate tyres, while Isack Hadjar has overtaken Liam Lawson to move into fourth.
14:16 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Verstappen Overtakes Russell for Second
Max Verstappen has overtaken George Russell on Lap 6 to move into second place. Verstappen went around the outside at Turn 2, got a strong run through Turn 3 and made the move down the inside into Turn 4.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton has rejected Ferrari’s call to switch to intermediate tyres, choosing to gamble on the soft tyres as the track conditions evolve.
14:14 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Verstappen Moves Into Third
Max Verstappen has moved into third on Lap 4, following the two Mercedes drivers. Kimi Antonelli leads George Russell by one second, with Verstappen in pursuit. Liam Lawson is also battling Isack Hadjar for fourth.
Charles Leclerc has pitted for intermediate tyres on the same lap, dropping to the back of the field. Meanwhile, Hadjar has attacked Lawson into Turn 9, but Lawson holds fourth.
14:07 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Hamilton Warned to Stay Out as Track Remains Slippery
Lewis Hamilton has described the track as extremely wet and slippery during Lap 2. He has been told to survive the opening laps as conditions are expected to improve, while Pierre Gasly has already spun on Lap 1 but managed to avoid the barriers.
14:05 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Race Finally Gets Underway on Wet Track
The Bahrain Grand Prix is officially underway, with all drivers leaving the pit lane for the opening lap. The track remains wet, while Max Verstappen has started on intermediate tyres and Lewis Hamilton in second is running the softs.
14:03 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Formation Laps Set to Resume
The drivers are now just one minute away from leaving the pit lane as the formation laps are set to begin again. Lewis Hamilton was also seen having the soles of his shoes wiped before getting back into his Ferrari.
13:59 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Two or Three-Stop Race Expected
The potential tyre strategies indicate that a two-stop or three-stop race could be on the cards due to high tyre degradation. The suggested strategies include multiple pit-stop windows across the 56-lap race.
13:52 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Original Grid Confirmed for Race Start
The FIA has confirmed that the original starting grid will be used when the race gets underway. This decision comes after the start procedure was suspended, overriding the usual rule under which drivers would line up based on the order in which they entered the pit lane.
13:41 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Original Starting Grid to Be Used
The FIA has confirmed that the original starting grid will be used when the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia gets underway. This means the drivers will retain their original qualifying positions for the race start.
13:34 — F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Race Start Delayed Due to Rain
The race start has been delayed due to rain at the circuit. Race control has not yet confirmed the start time.
F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia LIVE: Live Updates to Follow
Further updates will be added here once confirmed information becomes available from the race.
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