Malaysian GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

MALAYSIAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    After Vettel missed out on qualifying due to an engine issue, it didn't look like things could get much worse for Ferrari, but they did. Kimi Raikkonen was unable to start the race due to a battery malfunction. The team did what they could but it wasn't a quick fix and Ferrari's only hope was Vettel, who started last on the grid.

    As the final Malaysian GP got underway, after the start, Max Verstappen quickly moved up to the front and it only took him a handful of laps to get past Hamilton for the lead of the race. It was no secret that Mercedes were lacking pace and were out of their usual performance, but not many expected Verstappen, who just turned 20 days earlier, to take the lead of one of the toughest races of the season.

    It ended up being a solid race for the Force India duo despite Ocon having an early puncture from a collision with Massa at the start of the race and another collision with Sainz later on. Not to mention, team-mate, Perez, was suffering from a stomach virus all week and was treated with an IV drip pre-race. Perez still scored 8 points by bringing home the car in 6th and Ocon grabbed the last point in 10th.

    Carlos Sainz was the only driver to retire from the race. The Spaniard suffered from an engine problem, which left him out halfway through. Pierre Gasly, who replaces Kvyat for multiple races at the team, finished his 1st F1 race in 14th. 

    Sebastian Vettel managed to catch up quite quickly and was in 5th place by Lap 22. He ended up finishing 4th, keeping the title fight close between him, Hamilton and Bottas. Bottas finished in 5th, making it once of his worst performances this year after multiple podiums. 

    After being left out by the Renault team, in favor of Sainz, Jolyon Palmer found himself having another horrible race. He spun, ended up colliding with Magnussen and ended up spinning again. He was left pointless again, finishing in 15th, just ahead of team-mate, Hulkenberg in 16th.

    Wehrlein and Ericsson finished 17th and 18th respectively. While Sauber has struggled this year, things are keen to look up next year as the team works on it's 2018 car in hopes of finishing better in both the Drivers and Constructors championships.

    Max Verstappen brought home the win for Red Bull and was able to celebrate on the podium with Hamilton who finished 2nd and Verstappen's own team-mate, Ricciardo, who managed to stay ahead of Vettel long enough to secure third.

    While all seemed good, it wasn't until after the race, on the cool-down lap, that Vettel had a collision with Lance Stroll. No action was taken, but on the radio, they were quick to point the blame on one another. Vettel ended up getting out of his damaged Ferrari and hitched a ride on Wehrlein's Sauber.

    Vandoorne, Stroll and Massa all also scored points for their teams.

    

RESULTS:

1. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / + 25 Points

2. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 18 Points

3. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / + 15 Points

4. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 12 Points

5. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 10 Points

6. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 8 Points

7. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium / + 6 Points

8. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / + 4 Points

9. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 2 Points

10. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 1 Point

11. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain

12. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

13. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France

14. Pierre Gasly / Toro Rosso-Renault / France

15. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

16. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany

17. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

18. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

RETIRED - Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / Engine

DID NOT START - Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / Battery

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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