F1’s RM200 ticket and its billion-ringgit question

Special deal: Fans arriving on the third day of the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit. The RM200 ticket showed how F1 can reach beyond the elite. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star

FORMULA One came back to Sepang after nine years of silence, and it ended with a familiar winner. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won a chaotic, rain-delayed Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia last Sunday.

Heavy rain pushed the start back by 93 minutes. Verstappen, who last won here in 2017, took his 72nd career win and his first of the 2026 season. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli finished second – and kept his championship lead – while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton fought from the back to finish third.