Pakistan, Oct. 2 -- Max Verstappen warned on Thursday that high tyre wear may hamper his bid to convert Red Bull's late-season surge into a first win of the year at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The four-time Formula One world champion said he was hoping to win a race before the end of this season as he returns to Sepang, where he won the last Malaysian GP in 2017.

"I'm trying everything I can," the 29-year-old said in a pre-race news conference ahead of this weekend's race.

"We are scoring quite a few podiums now, but I want to win - that's what I'm here for and I'm getting close, but I want at least to win one race this year." Verstappen finished just two-tenths of a second behind Mercedes' George Russell in Sunday's Azerbaijan ...