Max pleased after Friday at Sepang

Published on 27 March 2015 by Stefan Meens

After finishing free practice 1 in seventh, Max Verstappen set the eighth quickest lap during the second free practice session for the Malaysian Grand Prix. An additional 30 laps in the second 90-minute session brought the Scuderia Toro Rosso driver’s tally up to an encouraging 53 on Friday.

“The balance of STR10 feels really good around Sepang, especially in the fast turns. So I’m happy with the car, but I think we can still find some lap time in the car”, says a positive Max to verstappen.com. “Also, I have to say the driveability of the Renault power unit definitely improved which is good news. However, overtaking on straights will remain pretty much impossible.”

Nevertheless, the Dutchman is pleased with the progress made in both Friday sessions. “We were off to a good start this weekend. I took it easy in the first session as it’s my first time here and I wanted to get used to the track. I found my way around this circuit quickly and I’m really enjoying the layout.”

Ahead of the second session, Max and the team opted to tweak the setup. “Free practice 1 went well without anything major happening. However, there was room for improvement and I was pleased with the changes to the car for free practice 2.”

Due the track’s layout and the high air and track temperatures, the Sepang circuit is hard on the tyres as Max experienced first-hand. Fifteen minutes into the session and after clocking a 1:49.765 on the harder compound, Max tells the team his rear tyres have gone. “It’s not easy to manage your tyres at Sepang because it is so hot and humid.”

After fourty-five minutes, the team bolts on a set of mediums enabling Max to set a 1:41.220. He continues on the same tyres and manages to squeeze out 20 laps before notifying the team that his front tyres have gone, bringing the Dutchman’s session to an end.

At the front, Lewis Hamilton retaliated with the fastest time of day after an engine problem prevented him from setting a lap time in free practice 1. The reigning world champion topped the table, beating Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Mercedes colleague Nico Rosberg. Carlos Sainz ended the Friday in P14, a second off his team mate’s pace.

The first day of the Malaysian Grand Prix was an encouraging one for Max Verstappen, who prepared for the scouring heat and humidity, both trademarks of racing at Sepang. “During the race I’ll probably lose up to two or three litres of fluids so I’m preparing my body by drinking a lot of water. I’m not really affected by the heat when driving the car, it probably affects me more when I’m standing still”, explains Max.

To acclimatise, the youngster flew straight from Australia to Malaysia. A regime of tennis, running, interval training and hitting the gym, has prepared him for the challenge ahead. “Physically I’m strong enough and I feel great so I’m looking forward to the race.”

Malaysian Grand Prix – Sepang International Circuit – Friday 27 March

 FREE PRACTICE 2
 P  No Driver 		Team 		Time 	 Gap   Laps 
 1 44 Lewis Hamilton 	Mercedes 	1:39.790       16 
 2  7 Kimi Raikkonen 	Ferrari 	1:40.163 0.373 29 
 3  6 Nico Rosberg 	Mercedes 	1:40.218 0.428 26 
 4 26 Daniil Kvyat 	Red Bull 	1:40.346 0.556 17 
 5 77 Valtteri Bottas 	Williams 	1:40.450 0.660 31 
 6 19 Felipe Massa 	Williams 	1:40.560 0.770 27 
 7  5 Sebastian Vettel 	Ferrari 	1:40.652 0.862 29 
 8 33 Max Verstappen 	Toro Rosso 	1:41.220 1.430 30 
 9  9 Marcus Ericsson 	Sauber 		1:41.261 1.471 30 
10  3 Daniel Ricciardo 	Red Bull 	1:41.799 2.009 8 
11 13 Pastor Maldonado 	Lotus 		1:41.877 2.087 15 
12 12 Felipe Nasr 	Sauber 		1:41.988 2.198 30 
13 11 Sergio Perez 	Force India 	1:42.242 2.452 24 
14 55 Carlos Sainz 	Toro Rosso 	1:42.291 2.501 31 
15 27 Nico Hulkenberg 	Force India 	1:42.330 2.540 28 
16 14 Fernando Alonso 	McLaren 	1:42.506 2.716 25 
17 22 Jenson Button 	McLaren 	1:42.637 2.847 24 
18  8 Romain Grosjean 	Lotus 		1:42.948 3.158 7 
19 28 Will Stevens 	Marussia 	1:45.704 5.914 12 
20 98 Roberto Merhi 	Marussia 	1:47.229 7.439 6 

Via Twitter and Facebook we'll keep you updated throughout the weekend followed by a full report on Verstappen.nl at the end of the day’s action. You can find the schedule for the  Grand Prix here. Don't forget to check out the weekend’s photo album.