{"id":3198,"date":"2026-10-01T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=3198"},"modified":"2026-10-01T15:36:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T18:36:00","slug":"verstappen-jokes-about-not-giving-an-fuck-as-sepang-heat-tests-f1-drivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/verstappen-jokes-about-not-giving-an-fuck-as-sepang-heat-tests-f1-drivers\/","title":{"rendered":"Verstappen jokes about \u201cnot giving an fuck\u201d as Sepang heat tests F1 drivers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Verstappen joked about months of mental preparation<\/strong> when asked about Sepang\u2019s physical demands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Dutchman believes drivers must become comfortable racing in uncomfortable conditions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Red Bull arrives in Malaysia still searching for its first victory of the season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Max Verstappen joked that his preparation for Sepang\u2019s heat involved months of learning <strong>\u201cnot giving an fuck\u201d<\/strong>, dismissing suggestions that Malaysia\u2019s demanding conditions required an exceptional approach before the return of <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/\">Formula 1<\/a> to the circuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking during Thursday\u2019s press conference at Sepang, the Red Bull driver was asked about the physical challenge of racing in the heat and humidity, particularly during a sequence of three consecutive grand prix weekends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think I had four or five months of very intense preparation,\u201d Verstappen joked. \u201cDeep mental preparation of not giving an fuck,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The response drew laughter, but Verstappen\u2019s underlying point was straightforward: <strong>uncomfortable conditions are part of the job<\/strong>, and every driver must deal with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He compared Malaysia\u2019s humidity with conditions experienced in Monaco and explained that sauna and steam-room sessions can help drivers become accustomed to heat. Rather than treating Sepang as an entirely different physical challenge, he favoured accepting the discomfort and getting on with the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Verstappen also joked that the sweating would require packing additional underwear, keeping his answer light-hearted despite the demanding conditions awaiting the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-media-day-red-bull-max-verstappen-01-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"F1 2026, BAHREIN, MAL\u00c1SIA, MEDIA DAY, RED BULL RACING, MAX VERSTAPPEN\" class=\"wp-image-1020316457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-media-day-red-bull-max-verstappen-01-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-media-day-red-bull-max-verstappen-01-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-media-day-red-bull-max-verstappen-01-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-media-day-red-bull-max-verstappen-01-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-media-day-red-bull-max-verstappen-01-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-media-day-red-bull-max-verstappen-01-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Foto: Alexander Seregin\/ASPPA Images Europe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Verstappen still wants a first win in 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The relaxed response contrasted with Verstappen\u2019s determination to turn Red Bull\u2019s recent improvement into a victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Six podium finishes in the last eight race weekends have improved his results<\/strong>, but the Dutchman remains without a grand prix win this season. Finishing near the front has not satisfied his ambition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sepang provides a familiar setting for that pursuit. Verstappen won the last Malaysian Grand Prix in 2017, beating Lewis Hamilton to claim the second victory of his Formula 1 career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Mercedes\u2019 latest upgrade makes the task more difficult, while the circuit\u2019s abrasive surface introduces another challenge. Tyre degradation and energy management could influence how competitive Red Bull remains across a race distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Verstappen, the heat is therefore one part of a broader test: <strong>coping with the conditions while finding enough performance to challenge for victory<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Formula 1 returns this weekend, from 2\u20134 October, to Malaysia, which hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix. <strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> will cover all the action at Sepang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">F1 today: FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What time is F1 qualifying at Sepang?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Qualifying starts on Saturday, 3 October, at 16:00 Malaysia time. That is 09:00 BST in the UK, 04:00 EDT in New York and Toronto, 01:00 PDT in Los Angeles and Vancouver, 13:30 IST in India and 18:00 AEST in Sydney. <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/what-time-is-f1-qualifying-at-sepang-saturday-fp3-and-qualifying-schedule\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"> <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Did Lewis Hamilton receive a grid penalty for the Bortoleto incident?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. Hamilton received a warning after impeding Gabriel Bortoleto during FP2 at Sepang. Ferrari was fined \u20ac10,000, but Hamilton will not lose grid positions over the incident. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skysports.com\/f1\/video\/13594263\/bahrain-gp-in-malaysia-lewis-hamilton-under-investigation-for-allegedly-impeding-gabriel-bortoleto?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"> <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why were F1 lap times at Sepang over four seconds slower than expected?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pirelli identified low grip, dust and an abrasive surface that increased tyre sliding and degradation. Friday\u2019s benchmark was more than four seconds slower than its qualifying simulation reference, rather than four seconds slower than the 2017 race weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What did Verstappen say about preparing for Sepang\u2019s heat?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Verstappen joked about spending four or five months preparing mentally to stop worrying about the conditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Red Bull driver brushes off questions about special preparation for Malaysia\u2019s heat and humidity as he continues his search for a first victory in 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020316459,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Max Verstappen","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Alexander Seregin\/ASPPA Images Europe","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":48,"location":""}],"footnotes":"","42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[686,64,66,113],"42wp_author":[48],"class_list":["post-3198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","tag-bahrain-grand-prix-in-malaysia-publicacao-sugerida-hoje","tag-max-verstappen","tag-red-bull","tag-sepang","42wp_author-giovani-danjo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3198"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3199,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3198\/revisions\/3199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020316459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3198"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=3198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}