By: Sweltering Malaysia put Max Verstappen back on pole position: a long wait of nine months and 28 days, far too long for a driver accustomed to breathing the clean air at the front of the grid. Quick and competitive from Friday, the Dutchman topped every qualifying session, setting the final Q3 time that secured his first pole at Sepang (his “fourth” in Bahrain). Today, however, Max Verstappen did much more than simply set a lap: he forged a link with his past.
On 3 October 2014, the Dutchman made his Formula 1 debut. He did so in a Toro Rosso at Suzuka: at one of the calendar’s most iconic circuits, the youngest-ever driver in the premier class embarked on a career that quickly made him a generational phenomenon, capable of sweeping aside the initial scepticism and opening a new chapter in motorsport history before becoming one of its legends.
A lap worth far more
Twelve years later, the pole position claimed in Malaysia is worth far more than simply a front-row start: it represents redemption and a fightback after a difficult season, in a weekend in which the Dutchman has genuine chances of securing his first victory of the season.
Max Verstappen after Bahrain GP qualifying – Internal cover photo by Peter Kiss / WHYOUT images
And while it is true that Formula 1 results should not be romanticised, this parallel cannot fail to stir the emotions: from the anniversary of his debut to his return to pole position, Max Verstappen has once again demonstrated his resilience. The Lion is roaring once more.
Cover photo by Peter Kiss / WHYOUT images
