Malaysian GP: Max Verstappen says qualifying rain saved brake issue

The 17-year-old qualified a strong sixth for the Sepang race but said he was losing time in every braking zone in the dry Q1 session.

"I was really happy that it started to rain in Q2 so that I had the chance in Q3 in the wet," he said.

"That's what I like and I was very confident that it would be a good qualifying.

"My lap was quite good, although I was still struggling a bit with the brakes in the high braking zone and that cost me P5."

The Dutchman said he and the team would have to work hard to find the problem before the race starts.

"We still have to discover what the problem is," he said.

"If we have this in the race tomorrow, it will be very hard to manage.

"Sometimes you lock up the left or right front, so it's very tricky."

Verstappen put his qualifying speed down to his experience of racing in the Netherlands.

"In Holland it rains a lot so I'm used to driving in the rain and I'm very confident in the rain," he said.

"The car is also working perfectly, it gives you a lot of confidence and you can push."

He also believes his Malaysian performance helps further dismiss critics who said he was too young for F1.

"I always said it was up to me to show the people that I am not too young," Verstappen said.

"I think, for the moment, it is all going very well. I can't complain."

SAINZ BLAMES MISTAKE

Verstappen's team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr said a mistake cost him a chance to reach Q3.

He will start from 15th position on Sunday.

"I'm a bit disappointed with myself," said the Spaniard.

"The runs in FP3 and Q1 were amazing, I showed great speed, and then I did the mistake in Q2.

"It's tough to take. It was a rookie mistake.

"I thought there was a lot of potential in the car to extract in Q3."