Verstappen highlighted as Red Bull's small advantage over F1 rivals in Malaysia
Photo: Race Pictures
Kada Sárközi joined GPblog as an editor ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season. He graduated with a BA in Sports Journalism in the UK and has covered Grands Prix and other F1 events live.
Isack Hadjar will go flat out from the start of the weekend in Malaysia after being more cautious in Baku because of his injury, and revealed one small advantage Red Bull Racing has this weekend.
On his return to racing after having to skip three Grand Prix weekends due to a wrist injury, Hadjar finished on the podium in Azerbaijan behind George Russell and Max Verstappen.
In Baku, the Frenchman took things step by step on the street circuit, but he can finally push from the very first moment in Sepang.
He explained to GPblog, among others: "The layout makes it that you have got to go flat out straight away. It's an open track. There's no walls really, so you're allowed to push it to the limit a lot earlier. As in Baku, it's, if you go over the limits, you're in the wall. So I didn't really fancy that, so I was taking it step by step. This weekend, for me is completely normal, to take risks straight away."
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Red Bull Racing's small advantage for Malaysia
Back in 2017, it was Verstappen who won the last Malaysian Grand Prix in Formula 1. "He knows the secrets of the of the tracks," Hadjar continued.
"You know, even though I did practice on the same in the end, you come in real life, it's always different. There's always things you can't simulate, and to have him as the last winner in the team is definitely an advantage. A small one, but definitely an advantage, and I make the most of it."
Looking ahead, the Frenchman also highlighted what he expects to be the key to this weekend. "Just looking at looking after the tyres. You're going to look at a two-, three-stop race, so it's going to be it's going to be fully different to Baku where you're flat out all the way.
"I'm going to make the most of it in practice sessions. You know, I think long run is going to be the priority, and, yeah, just going to focus on that."
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F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 302 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 236 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 199 | |
4 | McLarenMCL | 186 | |
5 | FerrariFER | 179 | |
6 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 163 | |
7 | McLarenMCL | 120 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 86 | |
9 | Racing BullsRCB | 59 | |
10 | AlpineALP | 41 |
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