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    •  October 2, 2016

    Ricciardo Claims Dramatic Victory in Malaysia after Hamilton’s Engine Fails

    October 2, 2016
    Author Signature
    Ryan Ashenhurst
    Contributor
    Ryan Ashenhurst
    Contributor
    Author Signature

    Daniel Ricciardo claimed his first win of 2016 as Red Bull secured a 1-2 in Malaysia whilst Lewis Hamilton suffered a dramatic engine failure from the lead. Nico Rosberg had the opposite luck after storming to 3rd despite getting tagged into turn one.

    KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - OCTOBER 02: (EDITORS NOTE: Retransmission with alternate crop.) Nico Rosberg of Germany driving the (6) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO7 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo spins behind Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO7 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo on track during the Malaysia Formula One Grand Prix at Sepang Circuit on October 2, 2016 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
    KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – OCTOBER 02: (EDITORS NOTE: Retransmission with alternate crop.) Nico Rosberg of Germany driving the (6) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO7 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo spins behind Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO7 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo on track during the Malaysia Formula One Grand Prix at Sepang Circuit on October 2, 2016 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

    The result sees Rosberg’s Championship lead extend to 23 points heading to Japan next weekend. The first big incident of the race happened at turn one as Vettel looked to gain some positions after a strong start. The German Ferrari driver went deep into the corner, made slight contact with Verstappen and tagged Rosberg, the latter pirouetting to the back of the grid.

    Hamilton controlled the race from the lead and looked on to win the race with a 22s lead until his engine failed in the closing stages. A terrible thing to happen in the context of the Championship.

    Ricciardo’s victory in Malaysia was his first in two-years and he was made to work for it by team-mate Max Verstappen, who was in close contention with his team-mate for most of the race. Before Hamilton’s retirement, the Red Bull duo had a  clean side-by-side battle for a few laps – Little did they know that this fight would essentially be for the race win.

    On the podium, an emotional Ricciardo said,

    “It’s been pretty emotional. Two years since my last win. Huge thanks to everyone who has supported me. It’s overwhelming”

    – Daniel Ricciardo

    Rosberg did well to finish 3rd despite a ridiculous call from the racing stewards, who deemed his move on Kimi Rakkonen to warrant a 10-second penalty. It was possibly the most ludicrous call of 2016 and there clearly needs to be a deeper screening process as to who can officiate a race.

    Valtteri Bottas had a great race to 5th but the Force India’s of Perez and Hulkenberg were 6th and 8th respectively and extend their lead in the Constructors over Williams to 3-points.

    Fernando Alonso benefited hugely from the first-lap VSC and managed to finish the race in the points with 7th. Jenson Button marked his 300th GP with points too and managed 9th.

    Rounding out the top ten was the Renault of Jolyon Palmer, the Brit bringing home his first ever F1 championship point.

    The main thing to take away from this dramatic Grand Prix in Malaysia is the fallout at Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton has already hinted that he feels there’s something not quite right given he’s the only Mercedes-powered car suffering attrition. The F1 circus heads to Japan next weekend and Rosberg takes his 23 point lead to Suzuka. An unlikely result and a Sepang Shoey has seen a non-Mercedes driver claim victory for only the second time this season.

     

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