As F1 races in Malaysia for the first time since 2017, Hamilton could set a new Sepang pole record and Norris could reach 50 podium finishes. Here are the milestones and the records which could be broken at the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia!
The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix Milestones
The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix will be the 1,165th race in World Championship history.
Sepang International Circuit steps in as host of this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix. This is the circuit’s first appearance on the calendar since 2017 and its 20th in total, having previously hosted the Malaysian Grand Prix in every year from 1999 to 2017.
This will be the fourth F1 race to take place October 4 – the first to do so since the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix.
The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix marks the first time that a country has hosted another country’s F1 race since Italy hosted the 2006 San Marino Grand Prix.
Nine years on from its last F1 race, this will be the first appearance at Sepang International Circuit for 12 of the 22 drivers on the 2026 grid.
The Formula 1 Records Which Could Be Broken
A podium finish for Lando Norris would see him become the 19th driver to reach 50 top three finishes in Formula 1, equalling Jenson Button for 18th on the all-time list. He would also overtake Lewis Hamilton for fifth place on the list of most podium finishes with McLaren, as well as equalling Button for fourth place on the list of most top three results for a British driver.
If Oscar Piastri or Charles Leclerc win, they will join a list of eight other drivers who have won as many as ten Grands Prix without ever winning the title.
A sixth place finish for Carlos Sainz or Fernando Alonso will see them equal Felipe Massa for the most sixth place finishes in F1 history. Massa recorded 27 sixth place finishes during his career, while Sainz and Alonso have had 26 to date.
With Kimi Antonelli having taken his maiden win at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, there are now 13 previous Grand Prix winners on the grid. If another driver takes a maiden victory this year, the next race will be the first time since the 1980 British Grand Prix that as many as 14 previous winners have lined up on the grid.
A pole position for Charles Leclerc would see him equal Nigel Mansell for eighth on the list of most poles with a single team. Mansell took 28 poles with Williams during his career, while Leclerc has taken 27 poles with Ferrari to date.
A podium finish for Charles Leclerc this weekend would see him equal Rubens Barrichello and Sebastian Vettel on the list of most top three finishes with Ferrari.
A Grand Slam for Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton – winning from pole position having led every lap and set the fastest lap – would be their seventh Grand Slam. It would see them take outright second place on the list of most Grand Slams in F1, behind only Jim Clark.
If the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix is won by under a second, this would be the first time since the 2019 Belgian and Italian Grands Prix that two successive races have been won by under a second.
The Bahrain Grand Prix Records On Offer
Sebastian Vettel holds the record for most wins at Sepang International Circuit, with four. Fernando Alonso is the only driver who can equal the record this weekend, while Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are the only other drivers with previous wins here.
Lewis Hamilton leads the way for most podium finishes at Sepang, with six. Fernando Alonso is the only driver who can equal his record this weekend.
No driver has set the fastest lap at Sepang more than twice. Lewis Hamilton could change that fact this weekend, if he sets the fastest lap in the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix.
If he scores 10 points, Lewis Hamilton will overtake Sebastian Vettel for the most points scored at Sepang International Circuit.
Fernando Alonso will overtake Jenson Button for the most laps raced at Sepang if he completes 39 laps of the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix. Button has raced 812 laps here, compared to Alonso’s 774.
Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll are the only drivers who currently hold a 100% points-scoring rate at the track. Verstappen has made three previous appearances here, while Stroll’s only outing to date came in his debut season in 2017.
2026 Bahrain Grand Prix: Qualifying Records
Lewis Hamilton will set a new record for most wins at Sepang if he takes pole position for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix. He’s currently tied with Michael Schumacher on five poles at the track.
Hamilton is currently on a streak of four consecutive pole positions at the circuit. Another in 2026 would see him extend the record for most successive poles at Sepang.
Max Verstappen is the only current driver with a 100% Q3 appearance rate at Sepang. He’ll be hoping to maintain his record this weekend.
Verstappen and Red Bull Chasing Records
Max Verstappen has won 71 races to date with Red Bull. Another victory would see him equal Michael Schumacher for the second-most victories with a single constructor. Schumacher won 72 races with Ferrari during his career. The record for most wins with a team is 84, for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes.
Oscar Piastri, Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson and Sergio Perez each currently hold 100% Q3 appearance records at Baku City Circuit.
A fastest lap for Max Verstappen would be his 38th, equalling Sebastian Vettel for fifth on the list of most fastest laps.
A victory for Max Verstappen in 2026 would make him only the fourth driver – after Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton – to have won in as many as 11 different Formula 1 seasons.
If Max Verstappen wins a race in 2026, it would be the 11th consecutive season in which he has won a Grand Prix. Verstappen would be only the third driver to win in as many as 11 successive years. Michael Schumacher reached the milestone in 2002, while Lewis Hamilton achieved the feat in 2017. Both drivers went on to win in 15 consecutive years.
A pole position in 2026 for Max Verstappen would make him the fifth driver – after Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton – to record pole positions in as many as eight consecutive Formula 1 seasons.
If Max Verstappen leads from start to finish, this would be the 19th Grand Prix which he has led from lights to flag. That would see him equal Ayrton Senna for second on the list of most races led from start to end.
Max Verstappen holds the record for wins from the most different grid positions in Formula 1. He’ll become the first driver to win from 11 different grid slots this weekend should he win from 5th, 8th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 19th or 20th on the grid.
A victory for Red Bull would be their 131st win, equalling Mercedes for third on the list of all-time Grand Prix victories.
A victory for Red Bull in 2026 would make this the 11th consecutive season in which they have won a Grand Prix. They would be the fifth team to have won in as many as 11 successive seasons, after Lotus, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes.
Longevity Records on Offer for Alonso
Fernando Alonso’s last win came at the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix. A victory at any race in 2026 would see him set a new record for the longest gap between wins in F1 history, by quite a margin. Riccardo Patrese holds the current record, having waited 6 years, 6 months and 28 days between wins at the 1983 South African Grand Prix and the 1990 San Marino Grand Prix.
A podium finish for Fernando Alonso at any race in 2026 would see him overtake Alain Prost for fifth on the list of most podium finishes in Formula 1. Both drivers have recorded 106 top three finishes.
If Fernando Alonso leads a race, he would become only the third driver – after Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton – to have led a lap of a Grand Prix in as many as 16 different seasons.
A victory for Fernando Alonso in 2026 would make him only the fourth driver – after Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart and Alain Prost to have won with as many as four different constructors during his Formula 1 career.