Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at Sepang, giving Red Bull its first Formula 1 victory of 2026.
He took pole and controlled a chaotic race through mixed conditions and Safety Car restarts.
According to Sky Sports, the win extended Verstappen's record of winning at least one race in every season since he joined the team in 2016.
BBC Sport rated him 9.5/10 after he recovered from a poor start to dominate.
The Race judged pole and victory the clear outcome of a weekend in which he topped every qualifying session.
RB22 upgrades turn Red Bull's season around
Verstappen's result capped a season-long improvement in the RB22.
The Guardian reported that the car initially suffered from poor pace, balance and consistency.
Major upgrades in Miami and Austria and a final package in Baku progressively improved its performance.
Verstappen described the early-season handling problems in unusually stark terms.
"At the start of the season, I really had weekends where I would turn the steering wheel and strange things would happen," said Max Verstappen.
The Guardian reported that Red Bull's development work eventually improved straight-line speed, cornering performance and tire management.
Verstappen said the team had addressed several weaknesses that had previously interacted with one another.
"We had a very complicated and tough start to the year with all sorts of problems and just not being competitive enough," said Max Verstappen.
Sky Sports reported that the Austrian upgrade reduced weight and changed the aerodynamics.
Subsequent developments helped Verstappen return regularly to the podium before his Sepang victory.
"Very enjoyable to win here and also have our first victory for our own engine.
It's an incredible project with a lot of partners and a lot of people that are dedicated to be where we are now, so a fantastic feeling," said Max Verstappen.
Red Bull's progress also marked the first Formula 1 victory for its own power unit project developed with Ford, according to Sky Sports.
The chassis, rather than the engine, had been the team's principal weakness earlier in the campaign.
Team principal Laurent Mekies credited the wider organization for the turnaround after Verstappen's victory.
"The credit goes to all the people involved who have been working incredibly hard on this project over the past five years.
Everyone in Milton Keynes and at the track deserves this moment and should celebrate it as an important step towards many more victories in the future," said Laurent Mekies, Red Bull team principal.
Mekies took over from Christian Horner in July 2025.
Sky Sports linked the team's development this season to his leadership alongside technical director Pierre Wache and chief performance engineer Ben Waterhouse.
"This result confirms the progress we have been making in recent months. We were already close several times, and today we converted that pace.
The team has been working tirelessly to improve our package, and weekends like this are the reward for that effort," said Laurent Mekies, Red Bull team principal.
Isack Hadjar also described a marked improvement after returning from a wrist injury, saying the car felt substantially better than before his absence.
"I definitely feel like I jumped in a car that's way better than when I left it in Budapest," said Isack Hadjar.
The Race reported that Verstappen's qualifying advantage was 0.3 seconds in Q3 and that his only major setback was losing the lead at the start.
He recovered quickly and used the improved RB22's pace and strategy to take victory.
The wider Sepang race featured major recoveries and failures.
Lewis Hamilton recovered from 18th to third after Ferrari started him on slick tires, while Kimi Antonelli finished second and George Russell retired from third with a power-unit failure, according to BBC Sport.
The Race also reported that Fernando Alonso finished eighth for Aston Martin, Liam Lawson seventh for Racing Bulls, and Franco Colapinto 13th after starting 21st.
Red Bull now faces the task of proving its improved form beyond Sepang.
The Guardian reported that the team intends to use the remaining races to learn more about the car before targeting a stronger start to 2027.
