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From "paper car" to pole in Malaysia – What's behind Max Verstappen and Red Bull's pace?

Max Verstappen recently secured pole position in Malaysia, a dramatic turnaround from his sixth-place qualifying result at Monza less than a month ago. Following that earlier weekend, the Red Bull driver described his machine as a fragile paper vehicle, specifically referencing persistent degradation problems that affect components over race distances.

According to Verstappen and team boss Laurent Mekies, the underlying degradation issues cannot be completely fixed throughout the 2026 season.

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From "paper car" to pole – What changed for Verstappen and Red Bull?