Max Verstappen after finishing 4th with a question mark: “That’s hard to say”

Max Verstappen recently emphasised: “My aim is to win one more race this season.” The four-time world champion regretted that he had not managed to do so in Baku – starting from eighth on the grid, he literally chased winner George Russell across the finish line, finishing second.

Most Formula 1 experts had assumed that, with a significant aerodynamic update for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Mercedes would extend their lead. However, following the first day of practice at the Sepang International Circuit, it doesn’t look as though that will be the case; Max Verstappen (first practice session) and Charles Leclerc (second practice session) set the pace.

Of course, Mercedes will be in the mix in qualifying on 3 October – they almost always are. But the endurance runs from the second Friday practice session could be an indication of what might happen in the Grand Prix on 4 October.

This is because Verstappen made the strongest impression in race simulations with his Red Bull Racing car – during the long run in the first practice session on soft Pirelli tyres, and during the long run in the second practice session on the medium compound. At present, Verstappen is demonstrating the best tyre management on a circuit that’s considered a tyre-killer and where high wear is to be expected.

Max Verstappen said of his impressions on the first day: “I think we’ve had a decent start to the weekend. It’s tricky because the track is really hot and we’re seeing a lot of wear. So there are plenty of things we still need to work out.”

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“It’s hard to say whether we’ve made progress. It was warmer in FP2 than in FP1, and we perhaps had a different programme to our rivals. We now have a lot to consider and try out for Saturday, and there are still a few things we need to understand better.”