Max Verstappen: 'Brakes cost me better Malaysian Grand Prix qualifying result'

Max Verstappen has said that he is happy with sixth place in Malaysian Grand Prix qualifying, but believes that a brake issue cost him a higher grid slot.

The Dutchman registered the best qualifying result by a teenager in Formula 1 for 54 years, to start from the third row in Sepang.

However, the 17-year-old thinks that his result may have been even better but for mechanical problems.

He told reporters: "I was really happy that it started to rain because I was struggling a lot with the brakes today; we still have to find the issue as I was losing a lot in every high-braking zone.

So I was really happy it started to rain in Q2 because then I had a chance in Q3 in the wet, which is what I like. I was confident it should have been a good qualifying [after it rained].

"My lap was quite good - I was still struggling with the brakes in the high-braking zones, which cost me P5 for sure. But P6, for my second qualifying, I think I can't complain."

Verstappen was running in the points in Australia last time out, before he was forced to retire with a technical fault.