Had it been so long that they forgot the Dutch national anthem?
There was a slight delay as Red Bull driver Max Verstappen stood on top of the podium Sunday at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia (no, that's not a typo) before the once-familiar tune kicked in.
Sure, it had been almost a year since his last win (unless you count the Max vs. 100 karting challenge), and nine years since his last win at the Sepang International Circuit, but Verstappen was in vintage form as F1 returned to Malaysia.
Yes, we got Sepang back before we got GTA VI, as the track returned after a nine-year hiatus. Verstappen's victory there in 2017 was only the second of his career. This one was No. 72 — a special number as Verstappen matched Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher in wins with a single team (both sit behind Lewis Hamilton, who holds the record with 84 at Mercedes).
The four-time world champion Verstappen started on pole position, but this wasn't a clean lights-to-flag victory. A torrential downpour and software issues — did they try turning it off and on? — led to a delay of one hour and 45 minutes of chaos before the race finally got underway.
When the lights finally went out, Verstappen dropped to third as Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell swooped ahead. Verstappen stayed on their tails and pulled a reverse UNO card on Lap 13 shortly after a safety car restart to retake the lead and drive away.
Verstappen remained unchallenged for the remainder of the 55-lap race, only losing the lead briefly when he made his final pit stop under a virtual safety car before Antonelli boxed the following lap.
While it had been almost a year since Verstappen's victory at the 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi, he has been close to ending the drought, finishing on the podium in six of the past eight races.
It may have taken longer than he had hoped, but Verstappen now has Red Bull's first win since partnering with Ford. Simply lovely.
Russell's title hopes go up in smoke
Russell was already facing an uphill battle to close the gap to Antonelli in the title fight. His chances may have evaporated when a suspected power unit issue forced him to pull over and shut it down with only a handful of laps remaining.
What a difference a week makes, as Russell was coming off a spirited win at the Azerbaijan GP in Baku.
Antonelli now holds an 84-point advantage over his teammate, with seven races and a sprint to go.
Schedule uncertainty still looms?
But will there be that many? Let's not forget why the Bahrain GP was held in Malaysia in the first place.
The actual Bahrain GP was supposed to take place in April but was postponed, along with the Saudi Arabian GP, when the conflict in the Middle East escalated. While the Bahrain GP was rescheduled for Malaysia, the Saudi Arabian GP was cancelled.
F1 top boss Stefano Domenicali reassured this week that the season will end with Qatar (Nov. 29) and Abu Dhabi (Dec. 6) as planned, but the series needs to seriously consider the risk before proceeding further with the war in Iran still ongoing.
P18 to podium for Hamilton
Was it Throwback Sunday? Verstappen wasn't the only driver to turn in a vintage performance.
Hamilton salvaged what could have been a disaster after starting P2 on the front row right next to Verstappen and plummeting to near the back of the pack on the opening lap due to a tire difference. The seven-time world champion started on soft tires, as those on the intermediates breezed by on the wet track.
The team wanted him to pit early, but Hamilton stayed out on his dry tires and stuck with them as the track dried out. That proved to be a brilliant decision as Hamilton picked through the field to climb back into the points.
With Russell's DNF, Hamilton was up into fourth on the restart and passed Red Bull's Isack Hadjar for the final spot on the podium as fans in the stands roared.
It's a shame we were denied a proper Verstappen vs. Hamilton fight at the start, but thanks to the smart thinking, Hamilton's race didn't get washed away in the rain.
Time extended for Alonso, Stroll
No surprise, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll re-signed with Aston Martin earlier this week.
First off, was there any doubt about Stroll? As long as he wants to keep racing for the team his father owns, Stroll’s seat is safe. Who says there’s no job security in motorsports?
Meanwhile, the ageless Alonso (who is actually 45 years old) will return for an unprecedented 24th season. Forget about GTA VI; GTA III hadn’t even been released when Alonso made his F1 debut in 2001 for Minardi. Seven drivers currently on the grid hadn't even been born yet.
Alonso's longevity is legendary, and though the two world championships, 32 wins, and 106 podiums are fading in the distance of his rearview mirror, he's still got it.
"I took my time to make this decision, but racing is my life, my passion, and I know I still have the speed and determination to compete at the highest level," Alonso said in a team release. "I’m committed for the long term with this team and to helping us succeed."
This year has been a nightmare for the team; however, both drivers managed to deliver season-best finishes. Alonso held off McLaren's Lando Norris to finish eighth and pick up four points. Stroll still has yet to score a single point, but he finished on the lead lap for the first time this season in 12th place. Small steps.
End of the line for Ocon?
Esteban Ocon is without a ride for next season. The Haas team announced earlier this week that they will be parting ways with the Frenchman at the end of the year. No replacement has been named yet, nor has the team confirmed the future of Ollie Bearman.
Ocon finished 15th in the drivers' standings last season, two spots and three points back of his then-rookie teammate. Bearman (13th, 20 points) continues to outperform Ocon (16th, seven points) this year.
Ocon, who turned 30 last month, has carved out a respectable career, racing 10 seasons in F1 with one magical win at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix and four podiums total. He should also cross the 200-race-starts milestone by season’s end.
But Ocon also clashed and crashed with his teammates, such as Sergio Perez at Force India and longtime frenemy Pierre Gasly at Alpine. Not to mention how “five-second time penalty for Ocon” became a meme.
Ocon's problem is that the grid is pretty much locked for 2027. With Haas out of the picture, the only other team still to announce its drivers for next season is Racing Bulls. Even then, the team will most likely stick with Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad or promote a junior driver internally should they decide to make a change.
A return to a test/reserve driver role might be Ocon's best bet to stay close to the action and wait for something to open up. We’ve seen Perez and Valtteri Bottas return from a hiatus with the addition of Cadillac, and Nico Hulkenberg came back from a year off in recent seasons.
For now, Ocon can make the most of his remaining time with Haas to prove himself. An eighth-place finish last weekend in Baku certainly helped; 15th in Sepang not so much.
