Formula 1 Focus: Verstappen & Hamilton masterful in Malaysia as Antonelli restores order

[p]When I saw that this year's Bahrain Grand Prix was being moved to Malaysia, I couldn't have been happier.[/p][p]In my first 20 years or so watching Formula 1, the Malaysian Grand Prix became one of my favourite races, so often producing high drama - [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alonso-fernando/rVRhR90U/"]Fernando Alonso[/a]'s breathless win in 2012; the famous fall-out between Red Bull teammates [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vettel-sebastian/QcDxijmq/"]Sebastian Vettel[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/webber-mark/4lCtjA2k/"]Mark Webber[/a] a year later; the 2016 edition, in which an engine failure for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hamilton-lewis/tI5Vpe1h/"]Lewis Hamilton[/a] all but sealed the title for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rosberg-nico/ne6Roynn/"]Nico Rosberg[/a], and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ricciardo-daniel/C6sajQXD/"]Daniel Ricciardo[/a] fought off [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/verstappen-max/UV3mgeXB/"]Max Verstappen[/a] to claim victory.[/p][p]I'd longed for its return for just under a decade, and was then made to wait almost two hours more when bizarre software problems shut down multiple power units and delayed the start on Sunday. It was the first time that F1's new engines had been used in wet conditions, and the fact that they were broken by a bit of rain really isn't a great look.[/p][p]Still, I'll focus on the positives from the return to Sepang, because there were a lot of them.[/p][h2]Verstappen and Hamilton show their greatness[/h2][p]When a track is going from wet to dry, you really see who the top drivers are. The best of the best have the instincts and knowledge to find the parts of the circuit with more grip and figure out exactly how hard they can push, and have the skill to then push that hard.[/p][p]With heavy rain falling before the start, Sunday's race had such conditions, and made it very clear that when it comes to pure ability, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton remain the cream of the crop.[/p][p]After the two qualified first and second, Verstappen was left to battle it out with the two Mercedes drivers when Ferrari put Hamilton on the wrong tyre, but it was never really much of a fight. The Dutchman was passed by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/antonelli-andrea-kimi/ptGu0mT1/"]Kimi Antonelli[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/russell-george/xxF56RaN/"]George Russell[/a] at the start, but then caught them, passed them and pulled away from them with ease.[/p][embed guid="6c117ea4-916c-42bf-b80f-a8b6a60849d1" url="https://x.com/F1/status/2107052174907777524" social-type="twitter" /][p]Hamilton, meanwhile, fought all the way from the back of the grid to the podium thanks to perfect tyre management, excellent pace and an absolute masterclass in overtaking. If his team hadn't given him a dry tyre for a wet track, he would've surely finished second at the very least and been fighting Verstappen for the win.[/p][p]Throughout the race, it was clear why these are the two drivers on the grid with the most titles to their name, and that F1 and everyone who watches it is incredibly lucky to have two all-time greats racing at the same time.[/p][p]That's already led to one of the best title fights ever, and there remains hope that they could treat us to another if given the cars. There's no doubt whatsoever that Verstappen is the best in F1, and Hamilton has shown this season that, while he may not have the consistency, he's still the closest match for the Dutchman on his day.[/p][embed guid="14f0a4c4-faae-4d93-8fc0-857352f010de" url="https://x.com/F1/status/2106802529749401960" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Antonelli immediately shuts Russell down[/h2][p]Verstappen and Hamilton are two of four world champions on the Formula 1 grid, and Antonelli restored order in Malaysia to remain all but certain of becoming the fifth.[/p][p]With his dominant weekend in Baku, Russell showed signs of mounting a comeback and putting the Italian under pressure, but just a week later, Antonelli emphatically shut down any chance of that happening.[/p][p]The 20-year-old only had one chance to put a lap on the board in the final session of qualifying, and yet went over two tenths faster than his teammate. He then remained the faster Mercedes in the race the following day, overtaking Russell and leaving him in his wake after being caught out at the Safety Car restart.[/p][embed guid="ca39b95a-a170-49cb-915f-f931a7d3eac3" url="https://x.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/2106717832390316272" social-type="twitter" /][p]Granted, the fact that Antonelli now has an 84-point lead in the standings is because an engine issue caused Russell to retire in the closing stages of the race, but even if he'd crossed the line in third, the title fight would have felt equally as over, such was the gulf between the two Silver Arrows in Sepang.[/p][p]Russell had finally gotten some momentum. He had finally applied some pressure. And the ease with which Antonelli nipped it in the bud is seriously impressive.[/p][p]He will be the 2026 world champion, and he'll be a worthy one.[/p][h2]Bring back the Malaysian Grand Prix[/h2][p]I may be a little biased given that, as I said at the start of this column, I've always been a fan of the Malaysian Grand Prix, but I really don't think Sepang's return to F1 left any doubt that it belongs on the calendar.[/p][embed guid="d2d30e93-a1a3-4359-b09b-67a6cf82d049" url="https://x.com/F1/status/2106702547327021538" social-type="twitter" /][p]When it comes to producing exciting racing, the circuit is on another level to so many that currently occupy a slot on the calendar. Monaco and Singapore get a pass because of how iconic they are and what an immense challenge they are, but in terms of wheel-to-wheel battles, the tracks in Miami, Madrid and the Middle East especially offer much less than what Malaysia's can.[/p][p]Then there's the fact that the country's climate makes every weekend there unpredictable, can so often produce sheer mayhem, and guarantees a real challenge for the drivers. Even if rain doesn't show up and test them - which it usually does - the heat and humidity do, making it clear why they're among the very best athletes in the world.[/p][p]Unfortunately, given the fact that F1 needs to reduce the size of its calendar if anything and chooses races based on what they can offer financially above anything else, an actual Malaysian Grand Prix returning any time soon is unlikely, unless the instability in the Middle East carries through to 2027. [/p][p]In a just world, it would be taking a spot from Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Abu Dhabi regardless.[/p][infobox id="68274eb9-a292-466f-8d1c-279fe1b5c54c" /]