Awkward silence at Bahrain Grand Prix as F1 make Max Verstappen blunder

Red Bull star Max Verstappen came out on top after a truly chaotic Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Sunday afternoon.

However, the four-time world champion was left awkwardly waiting for his shining moment after an F1 blunder during the podium display.

With Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton already on the podium, out stepped Verstappen, waving to the crowd and taking his position on the top step to hear the Dutch national anthem for the first time since Abu Dhabi last season.

But, he was left standing there in a somewhat awkward silence for over 40 seconds with the Dutch flag flying above him, as the anthem failed to play.

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F1 fans react to Max Verstappen podium blunder in Malaysia

Fortunately, the crowd in Malaysia were on hand to help out, singing along to 33 Max Verstappen by Carte Blanq & Maxx Power.

If you're unfamiliar, you've probably heard it. Think: DU DU DU DU, MAX VERSTAPPEN! DU DU DU DU."

F1 fans on X certainly made the best of the moment, too, reacting with some classic social media humour in response to events at Sepang.

"Things that didn’t work today because of technology: 1. Almost half the grid. 2. Dutch National Anthem during the podium ceremony," one X user wrote, also poking fun at the software issues experienced on the cars at the start of the race.

"Max Verstappen haven’t been on the top spot for a while that they forgot where they put the tape for his national anthem," another X user joked.

"Antonelli? No. Russell? No. Hamilton? No. MAX VERSTAPPEN. Put on the anthem," another X user added, along with a meme of a clarinet being played directly into a man's ear."

While some saw humour in the moment, others saw it as a moment of just what Verstappen means to the fans.

"The way fans started singing tu tu tu tu Max Verstappen when they failed to play the Dutch national anthem is so emotional to me. I’ll never stop thinking about it," a different X user posted.

A similar sentiment was shared by another user, who wrote: "Something about the wait for the anthem and the crowd immediately breaking into dudududu Max Verstappen just made me emotional."

Thankfully, eventually F1 did find the play button and the Dutch national anthem rang out for all to hear as Verstappen stood on the top step.

However, on a day when half of the grid also struggled to drive their cars in a bit of rain, it's another reminder that technology is not perfect.

"Du Du Du Du... Max Verstappen" 😅

When the crowd take it into their own hands to sing the 'National Anthems' https://t.co/Obj4v8aAUF

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 4, 2026

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