Max Verstappen elaborates on the "hectic" beginning of the Bahrain Grand Prix following his initial victory with Red Bull in 2026.
Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has shared insights about the "extremely chaotic" beginning to the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, disclosing that a temporary power outage disrupted his launch.
The Dutch driver began the race from pole position but quickly fell behind as Mercedes competitors Kimi Antonelli and George Russell overtook him at the start. Despite his challenging start, Verstappen ultimately secured his first grand prix victory of the season and marked Red Bull's inaugural win with its own power unit.
"This win is really special after the year we've experienced and the progress we've achieved," Verstappen told former driver David Coulthard during the post-race conversation.
"I'm immensely proud of everyone. It's just fantastic to win here. It's remarkable. To claim our first race in our inaugural year with our own power unit is quite an achievement."
The Red Bull racer characterized the race, which was postponed for an hour and 40 minutes due to heavy rain, as "chaotic," detailing that he faced a power deficit at the start.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
"It was very hectic with a lot of different factors at the start - no power because you have to wait for the power to engage. We made the correct decision with the intermediates. After that, we gradually advanced.
"From that point on, once we could run our own race, we encountered the safety car, but we managed to keep everything under control."
Former F1 driver and Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle described the victory as "incredibly impressive" for Red Bull and its Red Bull Powertrains initiative.
"Christian Horner assembled a highly skilled group to launch the Red Bull Powertrains project," he articulated on Sky Sports.
"This is a tremendously impressive win for the team - power unit and chassis - from Milton Keynes."
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