It was less than a month ago at Monza that Max Verstappen described his car as being made of paper. Fast forward to the Sepang International Circuit, and the mood within the Red Bull camp has shifted dramatically following a dominant maiden pole position of the season.
The transformation in pure pace highlights the steps taken by the Milton Keynes squad since their mid-season frustrations. While podium finishes in recent rounds kept points ticking, Sepang marks the first time this year that the RB22 has truly dictated the pace across all practice and qualifying sessions.
Verstappen admitted the car found a sweet spot in the punishing Malaysian heat, though he remained cautious about reading too much into Mercedes having a rare off-weekend in handling the high track temperatures.
"I think the car has been in a good operating window all weekend," Verstappen explained, pointing to the combined impact of recent setup breakthroughs and the crucial upgrade package introduced a round prior.
Read Also
Mercedes F1 menghadapi tanda tanya besar setelah paket upgrade W17 gagal memenuhi harapan di kualifikasi GP Bahrain, bikin Toto Wolff bingung.
Ferrari tegaskan hubungan harmonis antara CEO Benedetto Vigna dan Frederic Vasseur, meredam rumor internal serta fokus tingkatkan performa mobil.
Max Verstappen rebut pole position GP Bahrain 2026, patahkan dominasi Mercedes sekaligus tandai kebangkitan Red Bull usai awal musim yang sulit.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!