Read Giles Richards’ race report:
Verstappen wins the battle, Vettel the plaudits, Hamilton the war
While it’s Max Verstappen’s day (and how outrageous does it feel to say this was his first win “not as a teenager”), Lewis Hamilton extends his lead in the world championship race to 35 points.
It wasn’t quite the knockout blow he might have hoped when Vettel was left on his own to try and battle through the field. The German kept his season alive by carving through the field, but couldn’t get past Ricciardo and find a way onto the podium. Nevertheless his season has still got a heartbeat, and he’ll be going to Japan next week desperately needing to outpoint Hamilton to have any hope of winning the title.
Updated
Today’s points scorers:
1. Verstappen
2. Hamilton
3. Ricciardo
4. Vettel
5. Bottas
6. Perez
7. Vandoorne
8. Stroll
9. Massa
10. Ocon
... and the rest
11. Alonso
12. Magnussen
13. Grosjean
14. Gasly
15. Palmer
16. Hulkenberg
17. Wehrlein
18. Ericsson
19. Sainz (DNF)
20. Raikkonen (DNS)
The artistic aftermath of the post-race Vettel vs Stroll collision.
Well, at least Vettel waited until after the flag to have a shunt. pic.twitter.com/uQrSgix1li
— Grand Prix Diary (@GrandPrixDiary) October 1, 2017
Post-race drama for Sebastian Vettel, left plodding around after the finish of the race with his right rear tire destroyed. He’s had a big collision with Lance Stroll on the slow down lap, where Stroll has collided with his side.
Vettel hitches a ride back to the pits on Pascal Wehrlein’s car, much you’d think to the chagrin of the authorities.
Updated
Verstappen wins at Sepang
Lap 56 - Max Verstappen is the winner of the final Malaysian F1 GP at Sepang. It’s his second career victory, and first since the 2016 Spanish GP.
Lewis Hamilton is second, Daniel Ricciardo third and Sebastian Vettel fourth after starting last on the grid.
Updated
Lap 55 - The penultimate lap ends with everyone hanging in position, and the best battle in the field a Grosjean vs Gasly contest for 13th. The rookie lost out, dropping to 14th.
Lap 54 - Almost there for Max, he’s got the race won on the track and just has to make it to the end now. The top 10 has been settled for a while, after Hulkenberg challenged for 10th he’s now down to 16th.
Lap 53 - Verstappen leads by 10 seconds, with Hamilton a further 10 in front of Ricciardo. Debutante Gasly is running 13th.
Lap 52 - It’s been a race of little attrition given the heat and humidity, with only two retirements for the afternoon. We’re into procession mode now, Vettel has backed off and is reluctantly taking fourth.
Lap 51 - The lead is 9.7 seconds now, all Verstappen has to do now is get to the chequered flag and victory is his. Ricciardo has fought off the challenge, he’s more than three seconds ahead of Vettel now.
Lap 50 - It’s 8.8 seconds from Verstappen to Hamilton, and almost two between Ricciardo and Vettel now. Seb was heard complaining to his garage “let me do it, let me do it”, so that attempt earlier might have been it for him before management to get through to the end of the race kicked in.
Lap 50 - Vettel’s big go on the last lap was a false alarm, Ricciardo has almost doubled his gap to around 1.5 seconds since then. At the front Verstappen has got back out to 8.5 seconds in front.
In the battle for the points Ocon looks to have done enough to hold Hulkenberg out and claim 10th now.
Lap 49 - Vettel finally gets a look at Ricciardo, but the Australian shuts the door on him at the last second to retain third place.
The margin is under eight seconds at the front now, but it would still take something dramatic to stop Verstappen now.
Lap 48 - The lead is down to 8.5 seconds, while Vettel has failed to get close enough for a crack at Ricciardo again.
Lap 47 - Vettel ends the lap under a second behind, and he’s right into Ricciardo’s mirrors now. We’ve got a few laps left for him to challenge and to provide us a grandstand finish.
Lap 46 - Ricciardo is holding Vettel at bay for now, but the buffer is rapidly thinning towards half a second. At the front Verstappen’s only danger is angry motor racing gods.
Lap 45 - Vettel is only a second behind Ricciardo now, and the Red Bull garage has given Daniel the heads up that he’s going to have company very soon.
Verstappen is holding firm with a lead of over nine seconds.
Lap 44 - No sign of the 30% chance of rain yet, and the lack of panic from the teams suggests that the threat of the weather has been seen off by now.
It’s 2.1 seconds in the battle for fourth now, as Ricciardo is further handicapped by having to pick his way through the back of the field.
Lap 43 - Vettel is coming for Ricciardo, he’s just 3.5 seconds behind now. At the front the lead is still around 9.5 seconds, with a further 7.6 from Hamilton to 3rd.
Lap 42 - Everyone down to 10th placed Ocon has now been lapped. Hamilton isn’t eating into Verstappen’s lead, leaving everything in the Dutchman’s hands.
Lap 41 - Vettel sets the fastest lap of 1.34.080, and he’s within five seconds of Ricciardo now. With 14 laps left it looks like he’s going to get a look at the Red Bull at some point well before the end. Verstappen leads by almost 10 seconds now.
Lap 40 - The top 10 as it stands with a nine second lead.
1. Verstappen
2. Hamilton
3. Ricciardo
4. Vettel
5. Bottas
6. Perez
7. Vandoorne
8. Stroll
9. Massa
10. Ocon
Lap 39 - Verstappen by 9.4, with Ricciardo a further seven back and Vettel seven further away from him. No major changes in the rest of the scoring spots, with Stroll, Massa and Ocon battling for 8th - 10th.
Vettel sets a new fastest lap, and he’s going about a second a lap faster than Ricciardo.
Updated
Lap 38 - Verstappen has to clear a Magnussen vs Palmer battle at the start of the lap, and he got through just in time as the former Renault teammates tangle. It’s Palmer’s second spin in a few corners and he’s now down to 15th.
Magnussen on the radio: “What a [BLEEPING] lunatic”.
Lap 37 - Max expands his gap slightly, out to 9.3 seconds. Vettel is still 27 seconds off the lead, but to be fair he did have a lot of people to get past to make it this high in the standings.
Lap 36 - Verstappen leads by 8.9 seconds, with Ricciardo closing to within nine seconds of Hamilton.
Updated
Lap 35 - No change at the front, and Vettel is still a second behind Ricciardo.
Lap 34 - The lead for Verstappen is 8.1 seconds, with Hamilton 10.2 in front of Ricciardo and Vettel a further 11.6 behind him. Max’s race to lose.
Vettel sets the fastest lap of the race, but he’s not rapidly closing down Ricciardo.
Updated
Lap 33 - The leaders are starting to come across the backmarkers, with Marcus Ericsson for Sauber the first man to go a lap down.
Verstappen still leads by 8.2 seconds, while down the back of the field there’s tension between Massa and Ocon, and Alonso and Magnussen. Whoever controls the team radio feed to the public is busy continually hitting the beep button.
Lap 32 - It’s seven seconds at the front between Verstappen and Hamilton, with Vettel still 13 seconds behind Ricciardo in the battle for third. He’s aiming to be the first (and presumably last) man to ever make the podium in Malaysia after starting outside the top 10.
Carlos Sainz has officially retired, the first man who started the race to drop out.
Updated
Lap 31 - Perez is the last of the top 10 to pit, reemerging in 6th with a big lead on 7th placed Vandoorne.
The top 10 as it stands:
1. Verstappen
2. Hamilton
3. Ricciardo
4. Vettel
5. Bottas
6. Perez
7. Vandoorne
8. Stroll
9. Massa
10. Ocon
Lap 30 - Ricciardo pits at the end of lap 29, resuming in third place. Verstappen is back in the lead by 6.2 seconds. Hamilton is then 12.7 seconds ahead of the Australian in third.
Carlos Sainz is having mechanical issues, and slowly enters the pits complaining that he has “no engine”.
Lap 29 - Bottas is in and out as well, resuming behind Vettel. Our leader is currently Ricciardo, 5.4 seconds in front of Verstappen until now. Max is a further 4.7 seconds ahead of Hamilton.
Lap 28 - Vettel also came in, so Red Bull have decided to extend Ricciardo’s first stint. He’s now in the lead, with Bottas, Perez and Sainz the other runners in the top 10 who haven’t yet pitted.
Lap 27 - Verstappen is coming in to the pits, as Toro Rosso’s Franz Tost continues to provide quality soundbytes by saying “Ocon means accident!” This guy is my new favourite F1 personality.
Lap 26 - Hamilton comes in at the end of the lap. He’s the first of the top three to go in. There’s no drama and he’s straight out again.
The man into the points after Ocon’s assisted spin is Lance Stroll.
Lap 25 - Ocon temporarily gets in front of Sainz for eighth, before he’s clipped in the battle and spun. He survives to fight on, resuming in 12th.
The lead at the front is now down to 8.4 seconds.
Lap 24 - Vettel is still fifth, hanging on Bottas’ tail but unable to get close enough to make a move for fourth.
Vandoorne still the last man in the points.
Lap 23 - No change at the top, Verstappen still first after starting third on the grid but second when Raikkonen retired. He’s been unable to pile any more time on Hamilton, but has set up a commanding lead entering the pit stops.
Lap 22 - The gap remains steady, as we work towards the big guns coming into the pits for the first time. We’re still without any of the top eight coming in. Vettel now starting to hunt Bottas down, just 1.6 seconds behind.
Lap 21 - Vettel’s got Perez for 5th. The Force India didn’t give up easily, but Sebastian had too much power. At the front Verstappen is being held by Hamilton, he’s failed to add anything more to his lead across that lap.
Lap 20 - Vettel is up 14 places to 6th, but still stuck behind Sergio Perez, and a further 13 back from fourth placed Bottas. Verstappen continues to lead, 8.9 seconds in front.
Lap 19 - Hamilton is slowly falling away from the lead, but he’s doing well to keep a respectable lead over third placed Ricciardo. He’s about 4.5 seconds in front. Still no pits from the top eight - Ocon and Vandoorne the other men in the points.
Lap 18 - Good content from Franz Tost on the Toro Rosso pit wall, asked about Roman Grosjean’s complaints about their drivers “I don’t care about Roman Grosjean, he is always complaining”. Grosjean is currently the last runner in 19th.
Verstappen’s lead is nine seconds.
Lap 17 - The margin is nearly eight seconds now. Our top eight who haven’t been into the pits yet -
1. Verstappen
2. Hamilton
3. Ricciardo
4. Bottas
5. Perez
6. Vettel
7. Alonso
8. Sainz
Rookie Pierre Gasly is currently in 17th, the third last runner.
Lap 16 - Verstappen’s procession continues, now out to a 7.8 second lead. None of the top eight have been into the pits yet. Our last man in the points now is Stoffel Vandoorne.
Lap 15 - It’s 7.3 seconds at the front, with clear track in front of the Dutchman as he continues to extend his margin over Hamilton. Vettel is still sixth, gaining on Sergio Perez in the Force India.
Lap 14 - Verstappen has added an extra second to his lead, while Ricciardo is not picking up any more time on Hamilton. Our last man in the points at this stage is Pascal Wehrlein, but he hasn’t yet been in the pits.
Lap 13 - It’s 6.0 seconds from first to second, and from second to third. Down the field, Vettel jumps up to sixth as Vandoorne enters the pits.
Lap 12 - It’s a 5.9 second lead for Verstappen, and Hamilton is now holding Ricciardo six seconds back. Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly have both been into the pits for the first time.
Lap 11 - Elliot writes in to ask:
“Do you realistically think Red Bull has the pace to win the race? Also given their chassis, does Sepang suit the red bulls?”
You would have to say yes at this point. The gap is now 5.3 seconds, and even Ricciardo is beginning to gain on Hamilton. With all the major players on the same tire strategy it’s looking good for Red Bull.
Lap 10 - The gap is now 3.7 seconds, as the pit stops begin with Nico Hulkenberg.
Raikkonen is still the only man out of the race. All our starters are still on the track.
Lap 9 - Verstappen continues to pull away from Hamilton, now 3.2 seconds in front. They’ve got eight seconds on Ricciardo.
Lap 8 - After a ding dong battle Ricciardo pushes ahead of Bottas to take third. Wheel-to-wheel racing that looked more than once like it was going to end in disaster, before the Red Bull finally won the battle.
Meanwhile Sergio Perez steps in front of Stoffel Vandoorne to take fifth. He’s been sick all weekend, but he’s not showing it now.
Vettel has gone past Alonso and Magnussen into 9th.
Lap 7 - The lead is 2.5 seconds, while in the battle for second Bottas is still holding Ricciardo at bay. He’s 0.5 seconds ahead of the Australian. Alonso still 0.5 up on Vettel for 10th.
If you thought that Ferrari mechanic was brutal earlier, crack an ice cream gag to Kimi and see how you get on.
Back to the paddock #MalaysiaGP #Kimi7 pic.twitter.com/YxCOTomhNd
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) October 1, 2017
Lap 6 - The lead at the start continues to extend, with Hamilton now 2.1 seconds behind Verstappen. Meanwhile Vettel’s up to 11th, 0.7 seconds behind Fernando Alonso.
Lap 5 - Verstappen has got the pace to pull away from Hamilton, he’s up to 1.2 seconds in front. The rest of the top 10 is Bottas, Ricciardo, Vandoorne, Perez, Stroll, Massa, Magnussen and Alonso.
Verstappen hits the lead
Lap 4 - Max Verstappen jumps in front of Hamilton to take the lead, while right behind everything’s coming up Red Bull as Ricciardo is giving Bottas all sort of trouble. Max leads by 0.6 seconds.
Lap 3 - Verstappen has cut the gap to .4 of a second at the end of the lap. Meanwhile Ferrari has conceded defeat on Raikkonen, he’s out.
Lap 2 - Hamilton leads by 0.7 seconds.
The big gainer so far has been Vettel, but Stroll jumped up +5 places and Magnussen +7. Stoffel Vandoorne is running fifth, the first top five appearance in his career.
Ocon has had to pit after a tangle with Felipe Massa, it’s affected what was otherwise a great start for him.
Lap 1 - Hamilton leads from Verstappen, Bottas, Ricciardo, Vandoorne, Perez and Ocon. Vettel is already already into 13th.
Lights out!
Hamilton leads, from Verstappen who fights off a determined challenge from Bottas. Everyone’s safely through the first turn.
Raikkonen’s engine cover is still off in the garage as the formation laps begins. If he joins he’ll be doing it from the pits and after the start.
In tyre news - Vettel and the two Sauber cars are the only drivers on softs. Everyone else is on super softs.
Don’t mess with a Ferrari employee at this point..
Ferrari mechanic really wants this guy out the way 😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/o2ZE7aOn1f
— Tom Bellingham (@TommyWTF1) October 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/TommyWTF1/status/914380517419683841
Ferrari thought they’d solved the problems with Raikkonnen’s car, but not long after he climbed in they’ve had to concede defeat in the short term and wheel him into the pit lane. This is a victory for everyone who’s ever drained their car by leaving the light on overnight - battery problems happen to the world’s greatest drivers too.
Hamilton now has the front of the grid to himself, another leg up in the title race.
Then again, maybe HQ know something Sauber don’t?
10 MINUTES TO GO
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 1, 2017
Circuit has dried out after the earlier rain ☔️
Some reports saying a 50% chance of more during the race 🤔#MalaysiaGP pic.twitter.com/byJrLq3F6w
Sauber are not taking the threat of rain seriously, they’ve switched back to dries.
The boys are on the grid after a quick change from Inters to Dry tyres in the garage ☀️ is out and 🌡rising quickly #MalaysiaGP #F1 #F1nale pic.twitter.com/eXwQpqiPNW
— Sauber F1 Team (@SauberF1Team) October 1, 2017
Latest report on the weather is a 30% chance of rain during the race. The national anthem has just concluded, and we’re a little over 10 minutes until race time.
More on Kimi, as Ferrari’s horror month continues.
"The battery is just empty" Raikkonen says. Given some setting instructions. Ferrari's last bullet in the gun is at risk here.
— Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) October 1, 2017
Unless the unthinkable happens and Fernando Alonso wins from 10th, Sebastian Vettel will leave Sepang today as the all-time F1 win leader on the circuit. He’s got four victories under his belt (2010, 2011, 2013, 2015), one in front of Michael Schumacher and Alonso. Raikkonen is the only other multiple winner in the field with two.
Other winners since the race began - Eddie Irvine, Ralf Schumacher, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo. If Ricciardo joins the dual winner club this year we hope his countrymen will be more restrained in their celebrations this time.
Kimi Raikkonen’s car has a turbo problem, and is being wheeled through pit lane now for mechanical attention.
In case you missed it, this will be the last running of the Malaysian Grand Prix for at least the near future. Circuits have disappeared, reappeared, and in some cases disappeared again in the past.
In this case it’s not a simple case of politics or reorganisation of the circuit, the Malaysian government has simply decided not to fund the event in the future.
Updated
Welcome to our coverage of the 2017 Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix. A qualification drama for his nearest rival has given Lewis Hamilton the advantage in the title race, and with just five races to go after this it’s going to be a critical race for both Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.
Racetime is top of the hour wherever you are, here’s a reminder of what’s already happened this race weekend:
- Hamilton struggled in Friday practice, a full 1.5 seconds off Vettel’s pace...
- ... before the Wheel of Mechanical Disaster did a full 180 on Saturday, leaving the Ferrari man sitting last on the grid while Lewis took pole.
- Thunderstorms are forecast, and while it looks sunny at Sepang now there was a big downpour about an hour ago.
This is the grid:
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
5. Valtteri Bottas (Mercades)
6. Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7. Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8. Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
9. Sergio Perez (Force India)
10. Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
11. Felipe Massa (Williams)
12. Jolyon Palmer (Renault)
13. Lance Stroll (Williams)
14. Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso)
15. Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
16. Romain Grosjean (Haas)
17. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
18. Pascal Wehrlein (Sauber)
19. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
20. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Pierre Gasly will make his debut, tagged in by Toro Rosso to replace Daniil Kvyat. The Russian has only scored four points all season, so it’s a bit chance for Gasly to press his claims for a seat in 2018.
Adam will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s some food for thought from Giles Richards:
