Max Verstappen described Red Bull’s opening day at Sepang as positive after setting the fastest time in FP1 before finishing fourth in the second practice session. The Dutchman highlighted the extreme heat, difficult track conditions and high tyre degradation as the main challenges facing the team ahead of qualifying.
Red Bull nevertheless enjoyed an encouraging Friday at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with Isack Hadjar also remaining near the front throughout both practice sessions on his first Formula 1 appearance at Sepang.
Max Verstappen fastest in Sepang FP1
The opening day of practice at Sepang was particularly positive for Red Bull considering the difficult conditions the drivers faced. High temperatures and the state of the track surface contributed to substantial tyre wear, making it harder to extract consistent performance.
Despite those challenges, Max Verstappen set the fastest time in FP1, finishing three tenths of a second clear of George Russell’s Mercedes.
The four-time world champion followed a different programme during the afternoon session and remained inside the top five, ending FP2 in fourth place.
Max Verstappen, who remains the most recent Formula 1 race winner at Sepang, explained that the conditions made direct comparisons between the two sessions difficult.
“I think we had a good start today. We started well; the track was quite tricky because it was very hot and there was a lot of degradation, so there are a few things, particularly with the tyres, that we will need to analyse tonight.”
Sepang heat makes Red Bull comparison difficult
Conditions became even hotter during FP2, while Red Bull also changed Max Verstappen’s programme compared with the opening session.
“It was hotter in FP2 and we used a different programme, so it is quite difficult to compare the progress between the two sessions,” Max Verstappen continued.
“There are still a few things that we need to understand better ahead of tomorrow, but we had two positive sessions, which is a good sign.”
The combination of heat and tyre degradation is expected to remain one of the central technical challenges of the weekend, particularly as teams attempt to understand how the track will evolve ahead of qualifying and the race.
Isack Hadjar impresses on first Formula 1 visit to Sepang
Isack Hadjar also enjoyed an impressive first day at Sepang. Unlike Max Verstappen, the Frenchman improved his position from one session to the next, remaining inside the top three throughout Friday.
Isack Hadjar finished third in FP1 before moving up to second place in FP2, behind Charles Leclerc.
“A very good start to the weekend in terms of competitiveness. The track is very challenging and the conditions are difficult, so I think there is still a lot of lap time to find.”
Despite the encouraging result, Isack Hadjar believes Red Bull still has work to do on the balance of his car.
“I’m not completely satisfied with the balance of the car yet, but I’m very happy with our overall competitiveness.”
Red Bull expects short and intense Sepang qualifying
Isack Hadjar expects qualifying to place additional pressure on the drivers because of the limited number of competitive laps available from the tyres.
“Tomorrow, I think qualifying will be very short and intense, with only a few laps available on the tyres, but I’m looking forward to it.”
“I think we have a good car this weekend and that we can fight for the top positions.”
Friday therefore offered Red Bull an encouraging foundation for the rest of the weekend. Max Verstappen demonstrated immediate pace by topping FP1, while Isack Hadjar’s progression to second in the afternoon confirmed the competitiveness of the RB22 despite the difficult heat and demanding tyre conditions at Sepang.
