SEPANG, Oct 1 — Nine years after winning at the Sepang International Circuit, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen returns to the venue this weekend for the Formula One (F1) Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix with fond memories of the track where he claimed the second victory of his career.
Back at the 5.543km circuit for this weekend’s race, he admitted that nine years away was long enough for even the paddock surroundings to feel unfamiliar.
“To be honest, I walked into the paddock, and I had no idea where I had to go, so it has been a long time,” Verstappen said during a media conference today.
Despite needing time to reacquaint himself with the venue, he said Sepang's challenging nature had always made it an enjoyable circuit to race on.
“I always enjoyed racing here because I think I really liked the track layout. It was not very straightforward because there was always high degradation, hot in general, so quite uncomfortable in a way, of course, to drive, physically.
"They are great, great memories but, yeah, had to get into the paddock, I had to get used again. It has been a bit too long," Verstappen said.
For the record, the Dutchman was the last driver to win an F1 race at Sepang, delivering a commanding drive for Red Bull Racing to clinch the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix in 1:30:01.290.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton finished second, 12.770 seconds behind Verstappen, while the latter's then-Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo completed the podium in third, 22.519 seconds adrift.
