Malaysian GP, ​​Verstappen: "Strong on race pace, less so on flying lap"

Il Malaysian Grand Prix started well for Red Bull, which proved to be very competitive in terms of race pace, especially with Max Verstappen, both in terms of the soft and medium compound.

The young Dutchman, however, must improve on the flying lap, where he did not show himself to be particularly competitive: in fact, four tenths divide him from the first Ferrari, that of Sebastian Vettel, the real objective of the Anglo-Austrian team for this weekend. “Both sessions went well. The first free practice session was for settling in, above all to understand the new trajectories" – he commented Verstappen after the second free practice session -. “The new asphalt seems to give more grip. Until last year we had difficulties in Malaysia with traction, but these new track changes have helped us. And I think it's fun to drive too. We need to improve on the flying lap, but the long runs look good. The pace on the softs felt good, I think the tire had potential and helped me get the car into the corners the way I want. It's hard to say where the other drivers are after the first day, but Vettel looks strong, so we need to improve our flying lap to be competitive."

Today the young Red Bull driver also celebrates his nineteenth birthday: “Formula 1 is something I've always dreamed of, so it's nice to celebrate my birthday on the track. I can also eat a lot of birthday cakes, because here in Sepang it's so hot that I'll lose a few kilos in the car,” he said jokingly.

Gianluca D'Alessandro