.png)
Formula 1, IMSA, MotoGP and NASCAR Race Wraps-ups
1 day ago
3 min read
Max Verstappen wins in Malaysia, No. 6 Porsche Steals IMSA Petit Le Mans, Marc Marquez Sweeps Motogi MotoGP, and Chase Briscoe Dominates NASCAR Las Vegas
Formula 1
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) converted his first pole of 2026 into his first victory of the season in the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang after heavy rain delayed and completely disrupted the start. It was also the first win for the Red Bull/Ford power unit.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) briefly led but finished second, 2.307 seconds behind. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) recovered from 17th to third, with teammate Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) fourth. George Russell (Mercedes) retired from third late with an engine failure, leaving Antonelli 84 points ahead with seven races remaining. Ferando Alonso (Aston Martin) came home eighth, his best finish so far this year.
The Malaysian event replaced the canceled Bahrain race — an important schedule oddity — and exposed wet-weather problems for the new hybrid systems which further frustrated the drivers. Read all about it in the official race report.
Next: Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, Oct. 9-11.
Official Formula 1 report
IMSA
Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre and Matt Campbell (No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963) won Saturday’s rain-affected 10-hour Petit Le Mans IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship finale after Vanthoor’s late pass on the No. 24 Team WRT BMW for the lead. 16 full-course cautions and a 27-minute lightning stoppage made reliability and survival major factors. Felipe Nasr (No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963) crashed heavily with 90 minutes remaining, ending co-driver Laurin Heinrich’s quest to win the 2026 GTP Driver’s Championship..
It was Team Penske’s first Petit Le Mans win at Road Atlanta, and Porsche’s first since 2015 when it won overall with a GT class 911 RSR.
George Kurtz, Alex Quinn and Toby Sowery (No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA 07) overcame a drive-through penalty and damage to win LMP2 and its championship. Mattia Drudi, Valentin Hasse Clot and Marco Sørensen (No. 68 Car Blanche Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo) earned an upset GTD PRO victory in the team’s first endurance-round start. Philip Ellis, Russell Ward and Indy Dontje (No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3) won GTD and secured the team's third consecutive class championship.
Jack Aitken (No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R) clinched the GTP drivers’ title simply by starting; Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen (No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO) captured GTD PRO honors.
Next: 2027 Rolex 24 @ Daytona, Jan 28-31
MotoGP
Marc Márquez (Ducati Lenovo/Ducati) swept the Sprint and Grand Prix at Japan’s Motegi circuit, cutting Jorge Martín’s championship lead to only two points. Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda/Honda) inherited second in the Sprint — his first Saturday podium — after Martín (Aprilia Racing/Aprilia) and Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3/KTM) received last-lap track-limits penalties. Martín finished second on Sunday, ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing/Aprilia), and Enea Bastianini (KTM).
Álex Márquez (BK8 Gresini/Ducati) triggered a three-rider Sprint crash involving Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM/KTM) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Racing/Ducati), earning a double long-lap penalty for Sunday.
NEXT: Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia at Mandalikia, Oct. 9-11
NASCAR
Comments