Max Verstappen said he found Japan's Suzuka circuit "intimidating” the first time he navigated a Formula 1 car around the figure-eight layout with its high-speed corners and narrow confines.
No longer daunted by Suzuka, the track looks like an ideal bounce-back destination for Verstappen. In the last F1 race two weeks ago in Australia, a fire on his right-rear brakes forced him out on the fourth lap — ending a nine-race victory string.
“I think if you look at Melbourne performance-wise, I think we were quick, but we didn’t finish the race," Verstappen said. "So that’s not ideal, but our car normally likes the higher-speed corners, so hopefully we can show that again this weekend.”
