Max seventh in Sepang FP1

Published on 30 September 2016 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen started the Malaysian Grand Prix Weekend with a seventh place in FP1. The Dutchman, who celebrates his nineteenth birthday, had a productive and issue free opener, gaining valuable data. Nico Rosberg was quickest, followed by Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

This year, the Sepang circuit poses a couple of new challenges for the teams and drivers; the track has been resurfaced and several corners have a different camber gradient, making FP1 a vital session to get to grips with the changes. Carlos Sainz and the two Mercedes drivers are among the men taking minor excursions as they go wide in the new sections.

Racing in Sepang is a huge challenge due to the heat. For Kevin Magnussen, things got even hotter. As the Dane comes back into the pits, his car catches fire upon arrival at his team. The Renault driver jumps out with the mechanics on hand to deal with the fire. It proves easier said then done with the car spewing out more flames. In the end, the team are able to control the fire and the session is resumed, after race control red flagged FP1 until the issue was resolved.

After half an hour, Max puts his first flying lap on the board. He opens with a 1:38.0 but quickly betters his time to a 1:36.973, his fastest effort of the session.

For his second stint, Max chooses the hard Pirelli compound. Although more durable, these tyres are not as fast so the Dutchman does not improve his time. In the final quarter of an hour, Max heads out for another run on the hard tyres, but is unable to better his time. Nevertheless, with 26 laps on the board, the youngster gained valuable track time.

In the end, Rosberg finished on top ahead of Hamilton, Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel. Max' team mate Daniel Ricciardo finished sixth.

Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang International Circuit - Friday 30 October

RESULTS FREE PRACTICE 1

01  6 Nico Rosberg        Mercedes                    1:35.227           25
02 44 Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes                    1:35.721  +0.494s  25
03  7 Kimi Räikkönen      Ferrari                     1:36.315  +1.088s  16
04  5 Sebastian Vettel    Ferrari                     1:36.331  +1.104s  18
05 14 Fernando Alonso     McLaren Honda               1:36.510  +1.283s  18
06  3 Daniel Ricciardo    Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer   1:36.753  +1.526s  27
07 33 Max Verstappen      Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer   1:36.973  +1.746s  26
08 27 Nico Hulkenberg     Force India Mercedes        1:37.513  +2.286s  26
09 11 Sergio Perez        Force India Mercedes        1:37.601  +2.374s  27
10 22 Jenson Button       McLaren Honda               1:37.613  +2.386s  20
11 26 Daniil Kvyat        Toro Rosso Ferrari          1:37.847  +2.620s  29
12 77 Valtteri Bottas     Williams Mercedes           1:37.861  +2.634s  17
13  8 Romain Grosjean     Haas Ferrari                1:37.886  +2.659s  22
14 21 Esteban Gutierrez   Haas Ferrari                1:37.921  +2.694s  20
15 55 Carlos Sainz        Toro Rosso Ferrari          1:38.055  +2.828s  25
16 12 Felipe Nasr         Sauber Ferrari              1:38.184  +2.957s  18
17  9 Marcus Ericsson     Sauber Ferrari              1:38.313  +3.086s  20
18 19 Felipe Massa        Williams Mercedes           1:38.339  +3.112s  24
19 30 Jolyon Palmer       Renault                     1:39.148  +3.921s  23
20 31 Esteban Ocon        MRT Mercedes                1:40.036  +4.809s  28
21 94 Pascal Wehrlein     MRT Mercedes                1:40.627  +5.400s  26
22 20 Kevin Magnussen     Renault                     No Time Set         2

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