On October 4, 2026, at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, Max Verstappen won a Formula 1 race with two very different numbers attached to it. For the driver, it was career victory number 72. For Red Bull Ford Powertrains, it was number one. The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia gave an established winner a new entry in the history of the machinery behind him.
The FIA’s race report identifies the result as the power-unit supplier’s maiden triumph and Red Bull’s first win of the season. Yahoo Sports’ race coverage independently confirms Verstappen’s first victory of 2026 and his 72nd overall. The combination is the curiosity: a familiar name on the top step marked a fresh technical milestone.
A first win for the power-unit project
Formula 1 results have several layers. A victory belongs to a driver and a team, while it can also become a landmark for the supplier powering the car. Verstappen’s long list of previous wins therefore did not make this particular first any less meaningful.
Motorsport.com’s post-race report describes it as Red Bull’s first win with its own power unit. Formula 1’s account of the milestone also places the achievement in the supplier’s first season. It is a concrete point in the project’s development: the new combination had now taken a car all the way to a Grand Prix victory.
The pole-sitter had to recover
The route to that result was complicated. Heavy rain disrupted the start, and Verstappen encountered an early loss of power. Although he had qualified on pole, the Mercedes drivers, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, moved ahead when the race got underway.
Both Formula 1 and Motorsport.com describe that early setback and the eventual recovery. Verstappen regained the lead and kept control through the closing interruptions. The episode adds weight to the supplier milestone: this was a victory earned after an awkward opening, with the new machinery having to complete the job under changing conditions.
Two seconds clear, two milestones recorded
The FIA and Formula 1’s official result agree on the finishing order and margin. Verstappen beat Antonelli by 2.307 seconds; Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton completed the podium in third.
One win cannot establish how the rest of a season will unfold. It does, however, settle a simpler question for this power-unit project: its first Grand Prix victory is now recorded. For Verstappen, Sepang extended an already substantial career tally. For Red Bull Ford Powertrains, the same chequered flag opened a winning tally of its own. That is why the numbers 72 and one tell different parts of the same result.
Sources and further reading
- FIA — official race report and power-unit milestone
- Formula 1 — Verstappen’s 72nd win and supplier’s first victory
- Motorsport.com — early power issue and first win with new power unit
- Yahoo Sports — independent race report and career win total
- Formula 1 — official Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia results
