30 March 2014

Lewis Hamilton Wins Malaysian Grand Prix In Style

Lewis Hamilton ended a run of nine races without a podium finish by taking the Malaysian Grand Prix by storm – cruising to a lights-to-flag victory at the Sepang International Circuit.

The Brit was joined by team-mate and Australia GP winner Nico Rosberg on the podium as Mercedes continues their brilliant start to the season with a one-two, while defending champion Sebastian Vettel came home in third.

Having secured pole with a dominant performance in qualifying, Hamilton absolutely flew round the track and eventually finished 17.3 seconds clear of his partner.


The manner of his victory result will be a huge boost for his championship charge this year following the 27-year-old’s disappointment Down Under, where he was forced to retire just a few laps into the race.

After a shocking start to the season for Red Bull, which saw Vettel retire in Melbourne and newcomer Daniel Ricciardo have his second-place finish stripped from him for a fuel violation, it was a more promising race for the four-time constructors champions, though Vettel was a full 25 seconds behind the Mercedes duo.

And there were yet more woes for Ricciardo, who looked set for a fourth-place finish before running into trouble in his third and final pit stop, where he was released despite his front-left tyre being incorrectly fitted, as he careered to a stop half-way out the pit lane.

Mechanics pulled him back for a refit but precious seconds were lost, as were his hopes of claiming any points, and he eventually retired with five laps remaining due to further issues with his front wing.

Former champion Fernando Alonso had to settle for fourth, ahead of Force India's Nico Hulkenberg, with Jenson Button sixth in his McLaren.

Meanwhile, there was an internal battle in the Williams ranks as Felipe Massa denied team instructions to allow quicker team-mate Valtteri Bottas past and eventually raced to the line for a seventh-place finish, with the Finn close behind in eighth.

Ferrarri’s Kimi Raikkonen was another of the casualties as the Finn's race was ruined on lap two when McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen ran into the back of his rear-right tyre, resulting in a slow journey back to the pits with a puncture.

Dropping a long way behind the leaders, Raikkonen eventually finished 12th and over a lap down on Hamilton, while Magnussen collected a five-second stop-and-go penalty for his rookie moment.

As for Hamilton, he was never troubled throughout the entire 56 laps, arguably enjoying one of the most comfortable victories of his career.

1.Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
3. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
4. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
5. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India)
6. Jenson Button (McLaren)
7. Felipe Massa (Williams)
8. Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
9. Kevin Magnussen (McLaren)
10. Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso)
11. Romain Grosjean (Lotus)
12. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
13. Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham)
14. Marcus Ericsson (Caterham)
15. Max Chilton (Marussia)
16. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
17. Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber)
18. Adrian Sutil (Sauber)
19. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso)
20. Jules Bianchi (Marussia)
21. Pastor Maldonado (Lotus)
22. Sergio Perez (Force India)

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