Max Verstappen is finally back on pole.
After a difficult start to the season, the Red Bull driver delivered when it mattered most in qualifying at Sepang. Verstappen was quickest in Q1, Q2 and Q3 and finished the session with a 1:35.130, putting him 0.298 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
It is Verstappen’s first pole of the 2026 season — and he did it on Formula 1’s return to Sepang, a circuit where he already won back in 2017.
But while Verstappen took the headline, there was plenty happening behind him.
Verstappen finally puts it together
Red Bull looked competitive from the beginning of qualifying, but Verstappen still had to deliver the final lap.
He did exactly that.
His first Q3 run put him at the top, before he improved again on his final attempt to secure pole. Hamilton came closest, but Ferrari were still three tenths away from the Red Bull.
For Verstappen, it is a much-needed result after not having a pole so far this season.
And starting from P1 at a track where tyre management is expected to be a major factor could give him a very good opportunity on Sunday.
Antonelli survives a Q2 scare
Kimi Antonelli will start the race from P3, despite qualifying fourth.
But getting there was not exactly straightforward.
During Q2, Antonelli had his first lap deleted for track limits, meaning he suddenly had only one real attempt left to make it into Q3.
That is never an ideal situation.
Instead of having another lap to fall back on, Kimi had to go straight back out and deliver. And he did.
His final Q2 attempt was enough to get him safely into Q3, where he eventually set a 1:35.631 and qualified fourth.
Then Hadjar’s five-place grid penalty moved him up to third.
So what looked like a potentially messy Q2 ended with Antonelli sitting on the second row of the starting grid.
And honestly, P3 is a pretty good place to be.
He has Verstappen and Hamilton ahead of him, but Charles Leclerc is directly behind. If Kimi gets a good launch, there is immediately a chance to put pressure on the front two.
Mercedes still have questions
The result is a little harder to judge for Mercedes as a team.
Antonelli had looked extremely strong earlier in the day, topping FP3 ahead of Verstappen and Hadjar. Qualifying, however, showed that Mercedes did not quite have the same advantage.
George Russell could only manage P8 in qualifying and will start P7 after Hadjar’s penalty.
That leaves Mercedes with one car starting right at the front and the other further down the order.
For Kimi, that also means the race could become a very different challenge. Starting P3 puts him directly into the fight for the podium, but Sepang’s heat and tyre degradation could make staying there much harder than simply getting off the line well.
Alonso and Aston Martin finally show some life
Further down the grid, Aston Martin had one of their more encouraging qualifying sessions of the season.
For once, both cars made it into Q2.
Fernando Alonso qualified P12, while Lance Stroll ended up P14.
On paper, P12 and P14 might not look like much. But considering how difficult the start of the season has been for Aston Martin, getting both cars through Q1 is still a positive step.
Alonso also looked more comfortable throughout the weekend than we have seen from Aston Martin at some of the previous races.
They are obviously not suddenly fighting for podiums, but there were at least signs that the car is capable of putting together a more competitive weekend.
And for a team that has spent much of the season struggling to get out of Q1, that matters.
McLaren left with work to do
McLaren also did not quite have the qualifying session they would have wanted.
Lando Norris qualified P5 and Oscar Piastri P6, meaning both cars made Q3 but neither looked capable of challenging Verstappen and Hamilton for the front row.
With Hadjar dropping back, Norris moves up to P5 and Piastri to P6 on the starting grid.
That puts both McLarens directly behind Leclerc and ahead of Russell, setting up an interesting battle through the opening stint.
Sepang is going to be tough
One thing that stood out throughout qualifying was just how demanding the conditions are.
Sepang is fast, technical and hard on tyres. Add the heat and humidity, and suddenly a qualifying lap is only one part of the story.
That could be especially important tomorrow.
A driver can qualify brilliantly and still struggle once the tyres start dropping off. Strategy, tyre management and the ability to keep the car in its window could matter just as much as raw pace.
Which makes Verstappen’s pole important — but not necessarily decisive.
The grid is set
After Hadjar’s penalty, the top ten starting positions will be:
Verstappen has the perfect starting position. Hamilton has Ferrari’s best chance of taking the fight to him. And Antonelli suddenly finds himself on the second row after surviving a track-limit scare in Q2.
Meanwhile, Aston Martin finally have something positive to take away from qualifying.
Now comes the harder part.
56 laps around Sepang, in the heat, with the tyres and strategy waiting to decide who actually has the strongest package.