Max Verstappen hasn't had the luckiest of seasons, the young Dutchman suffering almost as many retirements as Fernando Alonso, most of which were not his fault. Mechanical issues and, like the recent Singapore grand Prix, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, have resulted in him watching the race continue from the pit wall.
Starting from the front row in Singapore ten days ago, Max became the meat in a Ferrari sandwich as both Sebastian Vettel and Kim Raikkonen, who started from pole and third respectively, tried to cut the Red Bull out of the equation.
The move resulted in all three retiring from the event, another frustrating event for Max as his teammate, Dani Ric, went on to finish on the podium.
Now we head to Malaysia, a race Dani Ric won last year, after the two raced wheel to wheel with max second on the rostrum…
We've mentioned Daniel's win in 2016, but you gave him a good run for his money and took second place. Was it fun?
We had a good wheel-to-wheel battle, we gave each other just enough room which provided some good action for the crowd and a great result for the team.
It's another hot and steamy affair, are you ready for another weekend in the sauna?
Both Singapore and Malaysia are very hot and humid races, but with them being one after another means you can at least tailor your training for those conditions, but it will still be physically tough. It's also challenging for the pit crew in their overalls, they get very hot and I'm sure they also lose a few kilos over the weekend!
When in Japan, are you heading to Tokyo too?
Yes, we'll spend some time in Tokyo before heading to Suzuka. Japan is full of new experiences and it will be great to spend a couple of days exploring before the race weekend starts. Some people say the Japanese fans are crazy, but I think they are just very passionate about Formula 1, which for me is very nice to see.
You're also quite a big fan of Suzuka aren't you?
It will always be a special place for me because I made my Formula 1 debut there during Friday practice and it's a proper old-school track. My favourite corner is the fast Esses in the first sector, but it's also the most difficult section of the track and you really have to concentrate on getting the set-up right.
