SEPANG, Oct 2 — Max Verstappen chose to go his own way on Friday when he rejected using soft tyres to embark on a long run on mediums in fear of rain in second practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
His decision resulted in him finishing fourth fastest behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar, but he gained valuable data and insight into conditions that were close to those expected for Sunday’s race.
“I think we had a decent start, but it’s tricky,” said the four-time world champion, who won the last Formula One race at the Sepang International Circuit in 2017 and topped the times on softs in opening practice.
“The track is really hot. A lot of degradation, so a lot of things to figure out, but it’s been positive.
