Max Verstappen discovered nail in tyre during dramatic Sepang victory

The team radio during the red flag produced a striking exchange between Verstappen and his engineer. “There’s a nail in my tyre,” the Red Bull driver reported. Lambiase then asked for confirmation: “Front-left?” Verstappen replied in the affirmative, after which his engineer wrapped it up with a brief: “Thank you.”

Even before the race could actually begin, Verstappen had to deal with a faltering car. During the formation laps behind the safety car, his RB22 didn’t respond properly to the throttle. The Dutchman was able to continue, but several drivers behind him experienced similar issues. Lewis Hamilton even came to a complete stop.

Race control then aborted the start procedure. That happened after the heavy rainfall at Sepang had already caused a delay. On the next attempt, Verstappen was allowed to retake his pole position, with Hamilton alongside him on the front row. Red Bull opted for intermediates, while Hamilton and the McLaren drivers, among others, gambled on dry-weather tyres.

The asphalt proved too wet for slicks in the opening phase. That meant Verstappen had the right tyres on his car, although he did have to yield to both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell at the start.

Where the nail came from and when it got lodged in the rubber is unclear. It’s also unknown whether the tyre lost pressure. As a result, it’s impossible to determine how close Verstappen came to a puncture or a retirement. The report did add a notable detail to a race day on which the Dutchman already had to overcome several issues.

Verstappen recovered after the opening phase by passing Russell on track and setting off in pursuit of Antonelli. When Valtteri Bottas slid off the track and the safety car came out, he swapped his intermediates for softs. That tyre change took place during a full safety car period.

After the restart, Verstappen also dealt with Antonelli. He placed his Red Bull around the outside of the Mercedes into Turn 1 and completed the move on the exit of Turn 2. That put him into the lead. Not even a late safety car could ultimately keep him from victory. Verstappen kept Antonelli behind and delivered Red Bull’s first win with their own power unit. After the rain, the software issues, and the remarkable report about his tyre, his Sunday at Sepang still ended on the top step of the podium.

It seemed, however, that nothing and no one could knock Verstappen off his throne in Malaysia. The four-time world champion won during the last edition of the race in 2017 and, nine years later, picked up right where he left off. A nail in his tyre, two upgraded Mercedes, and rain—none of it mattered.