Verstappen’s Sepang win shows Red Bull progress, with Singapore set to test its form

Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia for Red Bull at Sepang International Circuit on 4 October, finishing 2.307 seconds ahead of Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. The result gave Red Bull a measure of its progress after changes to a car that had troubled Verstappen earlier in the season; its performance at the next race in Singapore remains an open question.

The official Formula One result records Verstappen completing 55 laps in 1:47:14.808. Antonelli took second and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton finished third, 4.919 seconds behind the winner. Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar was fifth, 8.571 seconds back, placing both of the team’s drivers in the top five.

What the Sepang result establishes

The classification puts Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc fourth, between Hamilton and Hadjar. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finished sixth and teammate Lando Norris ninth. Mercedes driver George Russell, who had challenged Verstappen at the previous race in Baku, is listed as retiring after 49 laps. The result establishes where the teams finished at Sepang; it does not by itself explain how much of Red Bull’s improvement came from its car changes.

The event’s name needs some care: Formula One lists it as the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, held at Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur over 2–4 October. The official classification gives a clear account of the finishing order, while the broader judgement about Red Bull’s competitiveness depends on how its car performs beyond this circuit.

How Red Bull’s RB22 changed during the season

According to Richards, Red Bull introduced major upgrades in Miami and Austria, then brought its final upgrade, including a floor development, to Baku. Verstappen started eighth there and finished second behind Russell. The Guardian described his race pace as another indication that the team’s changes were beginning to work, before the Sepang result provided a stronger test of that progress.

Richards reported that the RB22 was quick on Sepang’s straights and through medium- and high-speed corners. His assessment also described a better balanced car that was less damaging to its tyres than it had been earlier in the season. Verstappen characterised the development work as having ‘pushed weaknesses out of the car,’ according to The Guardian. Those are assessments of the car’s behaviour, rather than a measured breakdown of the contribution from each upgrade.

Hadjar’s fifth place gives the team a second result to consider alongside Verstappen’s win. The official times show the two Red Bulls finishing 8.571 seconds apart, with Hadjar behind both Ferraris and Antonelli. It is evidence of two strong finishes at the same venue, although their positions alone cannot establish that Red Bull has the fastest car across different types of track.

Why Singapore matters for Red Bull

The Guardian cautioned that Sepang may have suited Red Bull particularly well and reported that Mercedes’ upgrades did not deliver the performance the team wanted there. Singapore’s street circuit is therefore a useful next check on whether the RB22’s improvement carries over. A win at Sepang answers a question about this race; sustained competitiveness requires results at other venues.

Red Bull’s focus also extends beyond the next result. Hadjar told The Guardian that the team wanted to try things, make mistakes and learn during the remaining races so it could arrive better prepared for 2027. That sets out the team’s stated approach, but neither the Sepang classification nor the available reporting establishes how competitive its next car will be.

For now, the confirmed outcome is a Verstappen victory ahead of Antonelli and Hamilton, plus a fifth place for Hadjar. The Guardian’s account connects that result to a sequence of car upgrades and improved handling. Singapore will provide another race result against which to assess that account, without turning one strong weekend into a season-long conclusion.