The last time Max Verstappen went a full Formula 1 season without a Grand Prix win, he was a teenage rookie in his debut year with Toro Rosso. A decade and four world titles later, 15 races into the 2026 calendar, the four-time champion is still waiting for a victory in 2026.

The podiums have been steady. Second in Hungary. Second in Madrid. Second in Azerbaijan. Third in Belgium and third in Italy. A retirement at Zandvoort is the only break in a run of five top-three finishes in his last six Grands Prix.

Baku on 26 September was the closest he came. George Russell took pole, built a lead of more than 10 seconds, then watched it collapse behind two safety cars. Verstappen, who had qualified eighth, worked his way to second and spent the final laps hunting the Mercedes down. He crossed the line 0.196 seconds behind.

‘I want to at least win one race this year’

“I’m trying everything I can. We are scoring quite a few podiums now, but I want to win,” Verstappen told reporters ahead of this weekend’s race.

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“I want to at least win one race this year. So I hope we can do it at some point.”

Red Bull brought an upgrade package to Baku that closed the gap to Mercedes, but Verstappen has cautioned that the car still needs to be tested on different circuit types before anything can be concluded. Sepang, with its long straights, high-speed corners and tropical heat, is a very different environment from a street layout.

The last driver to win at Sepang

Verstappen is also the last man to win a Formula 1 race at the Malaysian venue. His 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix victory was the second of his career and the final time Sepang hosted the sport before this weekend’s return. The race is on the 2026 calendar in place of the postponed Bahrain Grand Prix, moved because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Nine years is a long gap, and Verstappen said it felt like it.

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“I walked into the paddock, and I had no idea where I had to go. So it’s been a long time.”

The championship is already out of reach. Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli leads the standings by 66 points after Baku, and Russell has now won in Austria and Azerbaijan. For Verstappen, Sepang is not about championship points. It is about avoiding a line in his record book he has carried only once, a full F1 year without a win.

Lights out is at 3pm local time on Sunday, 4 October.

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