SEPANG: Red Bull's Max Verstappen proved he is still the master of the Sepang Circuit by grabbing pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix, but Lewis Hamilton received the biggest cheers at the famous circuit.
Verstappen, who won the last Malaysia GP nine years ago, mastered the track again in 1 minute, 35.130 seconds, while Hamilton was second in 1:35.428 at the track where he took pole position in 2017 but was pipped for the title by four-time champion Verstappen.
However, seven-time champion Hamilton was pleased with the energy brought by the cheering fans, with almost 100,000 filling the Sepang International Circuit and adding to the atmosphere.
"Wow, listen to this crowd. I think this is the biggest crowd we've ever seen here, at least in my time of driving," praised Hamilton after the qualifying session on Saturday.
