Red Bull struggles against Ferrari at Sepang
After a first day without any real problems, Red Bull has to admit that their two drivers are behind the Ferraris. But despite everything, the race pace looks good for Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, who will be betting all their cards this Sunday.
In the Red Bull stand, this first day of the Malaysian Grand Prix was something special as Max Verstappen was celebrating his 19th birthday: « Formula 1 has always been the place where I wanted to be. So it’s nice to be able to celebrate my birthday here. I can even enjoy the cake because it’s not that hot in Sepang,” stated a smiling Verstappen.
But on the track side, the smiles quickly faded after noticing the superiority of the Ferraris today: « Our short stints could be a bit better, but we have a good pace on the long stints. It’s hard to say where the other drivers stand, but Sebastian [Vettel] seemed to be doing quite well. » observed the Dutchman.
For his part, Daniel Ricciardo experienced a slightly more difficult first day: “The new asphalt is very good, and it gives a bit more grip than before, which is always fun. Even though I think I haven’t managed to find as much grip as the others. We didn’t really find an advantage on Soft tires and with low fuel. So we will have to work hard to improve tomorrow.”
