Max Verstappen’s Unusual Run Plan and F1 Teams’ Biggest Malaysia Challenge Explained

Friday practice sessions yielded highly atypical running conditions as teams took to the track in Sepang, Kuala Lumpur. Lap times concluded approximately four and a half seconds slower than anticipated as a result of poor surface grip, Mercedes failed to produce an imposing showing, and standard run programs were largely upended across the pitlane. The threat of weather altered the ordinary schedule, with the FIA anticipating a 90% chance of rain before the second practice session (FP2) that pushed teams to execute long runs well ahead of their conventional qualifying simulations.

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen was at the center of the adjusted run orders, prioritizing long-distance consistency over one-lap pace. “I wanted to do a long run in case there was some rain coming in,” Verstappen clarified when asked about his unusual Friday run plan. Technical Director Pierre Waché noted that the team intentionally bypassed late flying laps on softer rubber to gather representative wear metrics. “We didn’t want to compromise the long run, which I think is the most important thing this weekend, in terms of degradation and see how the tyres behave, especially the medium. We didn’t have data of the medium, so we prioritised that and afterwards it was too late to run the soft,” Waché stated.

Thermal Degradation Triggers a Vicious Cycle at Sepang

The single-lap pace displayed in Friday’s classifications offers little clarity about the competitive order, as tire longevity has emerged as the definitive performance differentiator. Pirelli chief engineer Simone Berra highlighted that the level of rubber decay proved comparable to some of the most aggressive tracks on the Formula 1 schedule.

“We have seen today that the degradation was quite significant, quite high. I remember just one weekend where we had this kind of degradation and that was Barcelona,” said Pirelli’s chief engineer Simone Berra. “We have recorded around two or three tenths of tyre degradation per lap, on both the medium and the soft. So the level of decay is quite important here. Teams need to manage especially the rear temperatures, but also the front tyres in the high-speed corners.”

Berra detailed that a lack of baseline track grip creates a compounding thermal issue that rapidly ruins lap times: “Due to the poor surface, the grip was low on both the medium and the soft. This exacerbated even more thermal degradation because we know that sliding means higher surface temperatures, higher surface temperatures mean lower grip, that means even more sliding, that leads to higher surface temperatures again, and so on.”

Finding a setup balance between both ends of the car is proving demanding for engineering crews. While the circuit is fundamentally rear-limited, front tyre temperatures cannot be ignored through high-speed transitions.

“The point is that for the rear axle especially, there is no rear respite here. It’s very difficult to keep the temperatures under control, you have to try to avoid sliding in the high-speed corners and on traction,” Berra explained. “But meanwhile you have to keep consistency with the pace and you have to avoid overloading the front tyres.”

“It’s very complicated because you have to protect both axles basically, the front can overheat and degrade as well. It’s really not simple. It will be a compromise in the end, which axle you prefer to degrade more. I think all teams will go to protect the rear, because in the end, on the rear axle, you lose much more performance than on the front.”

Qualifying Sacrificed for Grand Prix Race Strategy

The dynamics observed in Friday practice stand in stark contrast to previous events like the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, flipping ordinary qualifying setups on their head. Because Sepang offers ample overtaking opportunities for cars that maintain adequate tyre performance, starting position has dropped in overall importance.

“Baku was a circuit with very low degradation levels and very high importance of qualifying on the front rows. Here, qualifying is less important,” Berra continued. “We know that it’s possible to overtake, especially when you have this high degradation. If you are able to keep the performance and the tyre temperatures in the correct window, you can extend or you can push more than other competitors. The position on the grid is less important than in other places.”

This tactical tradeoff generated notable anomalies over flying laps. With cars specifically set up to prevent rear tyre overheating during extended stints, several competitors struggled during Friday’s running to generate sufficient front heat into Turn 1 during low-fuel laps, despite blazing ambient track conditions.

Hard Compound Blind Spot and Multiple-Stop Scenarios

Uncertainty surrounding race strategy remains unusually high because all teams opted to preserve two full sets of the C2 hard compound for Sunday. Consequently, neither Pirelli nor the competitors possess real-world run data on the hardest tyre available this weekend.

Pirelli warns that resorting to the hardest tyre compound will not automatically solve thermal issues if low friction triggers additional sliding. “I would also expect a high level of degradation on the hard compound, because [a harder tyre] is generating a lower level of grip and therefore a higher level of sliding and higher surface temperature,” Berra explained. “It’s something that we have seen today with the soft and medium as well. We have seen in some back-to-back comparisons for the race that the soft was at a similar level of degradation or even a lower level of degradation than the medium. That’s because the medium was sliding more than the soft and the soft was more controllable, let’s call it this way. And so all options are open for Sunday.”

These wear profiles open the door for aggressive tactical variance on Sunday afternoon across the entire field. “All three compounds are usable because we are most likely going towards a two-stop race, and possibly even three stops. Everything is, let’s say, in play at the moment,” Berra concluded. “This is generating quite a big amount of possibilities in terms of strategies and that’s what we want, also from our side, to generate different combinations.”

Why This Matters

The shift toward high tyre degradation fundamentally changes how teams manage their technical and operational priorities across a race weekend. Instead of fine-tuning cars for peak aerodynamic qualifying trims and pole position shootouts, engineers must dial in mechanical balance to preserve tyre life over long stints. Because qualifying matters significantly less when on-track passing is viable, Sunday’s race opens opportunities for aggressive offset pit stops, potentially rewarding midfield cars or frontrunners that can extend their rubber while rivals suffer the effects of thermal degradation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why were Friday lap times so much slower than anticipated?
Lap times lagged four and a half seconds off initial projections primarily due to an abrasive, low-grip track surface that provoked chronic sliding and elevated tyre surface temperatures across all compounds.

Why didn’t Red Bull or Max Verstappen complete normal soft tyre runs?
Fearing a 90% chance of rain in FP2, Red Bull shifted their program forward to prioritize medium-tyre race simulations to understand tyre degradation, leaving no time at the end of the session to conduct a typical low-fuel simulation on the soft compound.

How many pit stops is Pirelli predicting for the Grand Prix?
Pirelli anticipates that severe thermal degradation will result in most teams executing a two-stop strategy, with the potential for aggressive three-stop strategies depending on how the preserved C2 hard compound behaves in the race.