Max sensationally P6 in rained out Sepang qualification

Published on 28 March 2015 by Mike Motilall

Max Verstappen proved Dr. Helmut Marko and Red Bull right, by sensationally qualifying sixth in a rained out Sepang. The youngster progressed from Q3 to Q2 by noting the seventh time despite a car with drivability issues. With this brilliant achievement, the Flying Dutchman silences many a critics who thought that Max was far too young when he entered the Formula 1. By qualifying sixth, Max equals the highest starting position of his father Jos in Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton took pole in his Mercedes at the Malaysian Grand Prix; putting him in front of his own team mate Nico Rosberg and the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel.

Max tells Verstappen.nl: “The sixth starting position is great! The last part of the qualification went very well, despite that I was having a difficult time in the first and second part of the session. I was struggling with the brakes and the car itself. The last part of the second session of the qualification was very good, just before the rain. I got a little lucky there, but I was happy that it started to rain because I like to race in those conditions.”

Max points out that the team is also taking a dry race into account: “We are still looking together with the team how we can improve the car for the race. But my long stints were not bad, so I am not worried. Our race pace is normally fine, so I am looking forward to the Grand Prix. The sixth position is a good startingpoint. My intention is to complete the race and score some points.”

Prior to the qualification it seemed no problem for Scuderia Toro Rosso to make it to Q1. However, after Max’ and Carlos Sainz’s first run, the team was not sure anymore and both drivers are sent out with a set of mediums strapped on. This proved to be a good decision for Max, because he made a small mistake at the last hairpin when braking, almost putting him in the drop zone. Eventually, it became apparent that both youngsters could have made it to Q2 effortlessly, with their time that was set in the first run.

Moments later, the sky is filled with dark clouds. At the start of Q2 everyone is anxious to get a time noted as fast as possible. After everyone has done a run, it finally starts to rain. We then see Max, very professionally, get to P7. The two most important victims the rain claimed, were Kimi Raikkonen and Carlos Sainz, who were taken off guard when the heavens burst open. Any improvement on time was impossible in this session, resulting in nobody venturing out again.

The start of Q3 is postponed by race director Charlie Whiting due to the heavy rainfall. When the ten remaining cars eventually make it out on track, it is apparent that the choice of tyres is not the same for all the drivers. The Toro Rosso team sents Max out intermediates, the proper choice at that moment. On this set Max does a 1:51.617, which shortly puts him third, behind the Mercedes.

When Max goes back to the pits, in the middle of the session, he gets new intermediates on his STR10 and Max is sent on his way again. By now, he has dropped back to P7. In the final minutes of qualifying, it is Max that crosses the finish line last; enabling him to be the last to improve on his time. The 17-year old talent manages just that and he progresses to P6. He is just a few hundredths of a second shy of keeping Daniil Kvyat from P5.

At the front it is Hamilton who, for Mercedes, scores his second pole position this season. Behind the quick Brit, we see Vettel in his Ferrari he trumped his countryman Rosberg. Behind the two Germans, are the two Red Bull Racing cars, who barely managed to stay in front of Max.

The Malaysian GP final qualifying results:

P 	No 	Driver 	Team 			 Q1 	    Q2 	        Q3 	      Laps
1 	44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 Mercedes 	 1:39.269   1:41.517 	1:49.834 	13
2 	5 	Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 	 1:39.814   1:39.632 	1:49.908 	13
3 	6 	Nico Rosberg 	 Mercedes 	 1:39.374   1:39.377 	1:50.299 	13
4 	3 	Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:40.504   1:41.085 	1:51.541 	16
5 	26 	Daniil Kvyat 	 Red Bull Racing 1:40.546   1:41.665 	1:51.951 	16
6 	33 	Max Verstappen 	 Toro Rosso 	 1:40.793   1:41.430 	1:51.981 	16
7 	19 	Felipe Massa 	 Williams 	 1:40.543   1:41.230 	1:52.473 	17
8 	8 	Romain Grosjean  Lotus 	         1:40.303   1:41.209 	1:52.981 	18
9 	77 	Valtteri Bottas  Williams 	 1:40.249   1:40.650 	1:53.179 	14
10 	9 	Marcus Ericsson  Sauber 	 1:40.340   1:41.748 	1:53.261 	18
11 	7 	Kimi Raikkonen 	 Ferrari 	 1:40.415   1:42.173 	  	         7
12 	13 	Pastor Maldonado Lotus 	         1:40.361   1:42.198 	  	        11
13 	27 	Nico Hulkenberg  Force India 	 1:40.830   1:43.023 	  	         9
14 	11 	Sergio Perez 	 Force India 	 1:41.036   1:43.469 	  	        11
15 	55 	Carlos Sainz 	 Toro Rosso 	 1:39.814   1:43.701 	  	         9
16 	12 	Felipe Nasr 	 Sauber 	 1:41.308 	  	                 7
17 	22 	Jenson Button 	 McLaren 	 1:41.636 	  	                 8
18 	14 	Fernando Alonso  McLaren 	 1:41.746 	  	                 8
  	98 	Roberto Merhi 	 Marussia 	 1:46.677 	  	                 7
  	  	Q1 107% Time 	  	         1:46.217