Max Verstappen has hailed Red Bull’s first win of the 2026 F1 season under their own power unit as an “incredible” achievement.
Having lost the lead at the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia to Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, Verstappen cleared Russell on lap six then Antonelli on lap 13 to resume the lead until he pitted under a Virtual Safety Car on lap 44 which handed the lead to Antonelli.
Antonelli however opted to pit a lap later just moments before the safety car was deployed, which allowed Verstappen to cruise to victory upon the restart at the end of lap 51, which marked his first win of the season and the first time that Red Bull had won under their own power unit.
“What an incredible result! The race was not made easy for us with all the decisions we had to make and then the Safety Car at the end on top of everything. But we made all the right calls with the tyres, kept our cool, and it all paid off.”
Verstappen also expressed surprise at winning a race in Red Bull’s first season of manufacturing their own power unit, having felt that it wasn’t an believable target for this year despite their improved form since the summer break.
“Of course, to win a race in the first year of being a new power unit manufacturer is honestly just incredible and something everyone should be really proud of.
“We knew from the start that Red Bull Ford Powertrains built a strong engine and also knew the limitations too. Although it was hard at times, and we sometimes didn’t believe we could get this win, we kept pushing. The Team has also been working hard to understand our issues and brought performance upgrades to the car.
“Step by step, we have been getting closer and today we did it, which is really special and an emotional moment. It is an incredible project and winning in our first season together is a fantastic feeling.”