The 2026 season started under the desert lights at the Bahrain International Circuit, and Max delivered exactly what Red Bull needed after a turbulent winter testing period. Pole on Saturday by 0.187s over Norris, then a controlled lights-to-flag run to take the 25 points and bonus for fastest lap on the final tour.
Strategy
Soft–hard–medium was the optimal call given the track temperature climbing through the second stint. Red Bull pulled the trigger on the first stop a lap earlier than McLaren and that gave Max the undercut that defined the rest of the race. The hard compound held up better than expected — Pirelli’s revised construction for 2026 seems to have killed the graining that plagued last year’s opening round.