Max Verstappen absolutely dominated our Power Rankings judges at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, and honestly, there's no surprise here. The Red Bull driver and his team finally cracked the winning code after 15 rounds of chasing podiums without that elusive victory. With a brand new power unit and fresh updates working perfectly, Verstappen stormed to pole position and then managed the tricky mixed conditions on Sunday like a seasoned pro. Every single one of our five-judge panel handed him a perfect 10 out of 10, which tells you everything you need to know about just how dominant he was at Sepang International Circuit.

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Beyond Max, there were some seriously impressive performances worth celebrating. Fernando Alonso showed exactly why experience matters, guiding Aston Martin and Honda's new partnership to an eighth-place finish after qualifying in P12. That was a massive step forward for a partnership that's been under serious scrutiny. Then there's Lewis Hamilton, who absolutely refused to surrender after a catastrophic first lap. Starting from P2 but dropping all the way to P17 after his slick tyre gamble went sideways, the seven-time World Champion fought back brilliantly as the track dried out, executing some beautiful overtakes and snatching the final podium spot. It was the kind of drive that reminds everyone why he's still so dangerous.

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Kimi Antonelli had a solid weekend for Mercedes, securing second place behind Verstappen after leading early on. The updates Mercedes brought were tricky to understand on a hot Sepang surface, but Antonelli managed well and now sits 84 points clear in the championship battle. Liam Lawson impressed plenty too, storming from 11th all the way to seventh with Racing Bulls, enjoying some entertaining battles with Verstappen before conditions shuffled the order around. Arvid Lindblad's recovery drive was absolutely mental, recovering 13 positions on lap one alone after taking fresh power unit components.

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The unlucky stories are worth noting as well. Isack Hadjar finished fifth but felt the pace slipping in the second half, while Nico Hulkenberg ran out of luck yet again, missing the points despite a solid climb from P15. Carlos Sainz had a decent start, jumping up from 13th, but got spun around by Gabriel Bortoleto and never recovered. Our judges loved what Esteban Ocon showed early on too, climbing to P7 from P17 before the improving conditions worked against Haas.

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