Verstappen targets first 2026 win at Sepang, the circuit where his F1 career ignited

Max Verstappen arrives at the Malaysian Grand Prix without a race win in 2026, despite finishing on the podium in six of his last eight Formula 1 weekends. The four-time world champion is clear about what he needs from Sepang: “It’s true that we are scoring quite a few podiums now, but I want to win.”

The stakes are significant. Should Verstappen and Red Bull fail to win a race this season, it would mark the first winless campaign for the partnership since 2015 — a drought that also threatened in 2017 before Verstappen rescued it at this very circuit, claiming what remains his most recent victory at the Sepang International Circuit.

“I walked into the paddock this morning and I had no idea where I had to go,” Verstappen admitted with a smile. “It’s been a long time. I always enjoyed racing here because I really liked the track layout. It was not very straightforward — there was always high degradation and just very hot in general, so quite uncomfortable to drive in a way, physically. There are great memories, but I had to get used to this paddock again.”

The Malaysian heat is one of the defining features of the Sepang weekend, with the race held during the day in conditions far more punishing than the night-time Singapore Grand Prix. Asked whether he had undertaken any special physical preparation for the extreme climate, Verstappen was characteristically dismissive.

“I think I had four or five months of very intense preparation. Yeah, deep mental preparation of not giving an F,” he laughed. “It’s hot, but it’s also hot in Monaco and it gets very humid there as well. You just need to get comfortable with the uncomfortable, but that’s the case for everyone. It’s hot, sweaty and you need a few more underwears, I guess. Just go with the flow.”

Beyond the weather, Sepang’s notoriously rough asphalt adds further complexity. The surface generates significant tyre degradation and raises specific questions around energy management — a critical factor under the 2026 technical regulations, which place greater emphasis on hybrid deployment and recharge cycles than any previous generation of car.

Verstappen’s task is also complicated by a fresh Mercedes upgrade package that arrived at this race, which he acknowledged will make the fight for victory even harder. Red Bull have shown consistent pace improvements across recent rounds, but converting that into a race win against a resurgent Mercedes remains the challenge the Dutchman is determined to solve in Malaysia.