The rain had Verstappen smiling

Editor

Max Verstappen admits he was happy to see the heavens open up at Sepang on Saturday as he is "used to driving in the wet".

Competing in only his second Formula 1 race, the 17-year-old produced an immaculate display ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix and was sixth fastest in Q3 despite the wet conditions.

"I’m very happy, it was a good session this afternoon, especially Q3," he said. "In Q1 and Q2 I wasn’t totally comfortable with the car, but we had a good end of Q2. 

"I was smiling when it started to rain, because that’s what I like. I’m Dutch so I’m used to driving in the wet, even though here it’s a completely different story. 

"P6 is a really a good position to start tomorrow’s race. I’m really looking forward to it and even if we seem to struggle a bit in the longer runs, I’m not worried and hopefully we can score some points."