Max Verstappen targets first F1 win of season

SEPANG: Max Verstappen said he is determined to win at least one Formula One race this season on Wednesday as the four-times world champion finds himself sixth in the championship standings after 15 rounds.

The Red Bull driver has recorded seven podium finishes but remains without a victory, having finished runner-up in his last two races in Madrid and Baku.

Verstappen last won at Sepang, returned to the circuit for the first time in almost a decade as Malaysia hosts Formula One again after the Bahrain Grand Prix was moved because of the conflict in the Middle East.

While Red Bull have outscored Ferrari and McLaren over the last three races, Verstappen said Mercedes remained ahead of them in the championship fight.

"Unfortunately, we're not outscoring Mercedes. They're actually the fast ones, or at least they were for most of this season," he said.

"I'm trying everything I can. We are scoring quite a few podiums now, but I want to win. That's what I'm here for and I'm getting close. I want to at least win one race this year. So I hope we can do it at some point."

The 29-year-old admitted returning to Sepang felt unfamiliar after such a long absence.

"I walked into the paddock and I had no idea where I had to go. So it's been a long time," Verstappen said.

He added that the circuit's heat and tyre degradation made it physically demanding, although he has always enjoyed its layout.