Verstappen went fastest by 0.298 of a second from Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, with Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar .130 further back in third, reported AP.
It was an “incredible result for us looking at the season,” Verstappen said. “I felt good, felt confident and I hope we can show that again tomorrow.”
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Verstappen won the last time F1 raced at the Sepang circuit back in 2017. His pole position is the first this year for a car powered by a non-Mercedes engine.
Antonelli qualified only fourth, with his Mercedes teammate and closest title challenger George Russell only eighth. Both are set to move up a place on the grid for Sunday’s race because Hadjar has a five-place grid penalty for changing his engine over the allocation for the season.
Hamilton’s second place came as a relief to the seven-time champion amid a slump in results at Ferrari, which has denied speculation over team principal Fred Vasseur’s future.
“Let’s go guys, let’s go. Finally,” Hamilton said over the radio.
