Verstappen wins the rain-delayed Bahrain race, and Hamilton describes him as “Lego”

Formula 1 rules officials pledged to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was delayed due to rain, and which British star Lewis Hamilton described as a “Lego race,” after several cars broke down due to technical problems.

Amidst severe confusion at the start of the race, Dutchman Max Verstappen achieved his first victory in 2025, followed by Italian Kimi Antonelli in second place, and Hamilton secured his place on the podium by finishing third after starting the race in 18th place on the starting grid.

On the other hand, Briton George Russell withdrew from third place on the starting grid due to an engine problem, thus eliminating his hopes of competing in the World Drivers' Championship.

But unprecedented scenes imposed themselves on the race hosted by the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia, amid the failure of a number of new season cars that were subjected to strong criticism to operate efficiently in the rain.

After postponing the date of the first start due to heavy rain, Formula 1 officials were forced to cancel the start, as the drivers, including Verstappen and Hamilton, suddenly faced technical malfunctions during the warm-up, and were unable to start their cars.

Verstappen, who had previously hinted at the possibility of retiring due to his dissatisfaction with the new laws, succeeded in starting at the required speed, and the cameras showed him laughing in amazement at the cars breaking down on the side of the track.

The cars returned slowly and with difficulty to the pit lane, and the competition was postponed for an additional 53 minutes until race officials gave the green light to restart the race.