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F1 losing toughest race on calendar says Hamilton
For a dark horse points-scorer I fancy Jolyon Palmer to do well. Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel yesterday set the fastest time in the second practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit . What's done is done. He did go faster than Max Verstappen who was left with little to celebrate on his 20th birthday after some ragged laps left him only in sixth place ... [Full Article...]
Airport, hotel, circuit - Raikkonen sees no reason to miss Malaysian GP
Mistakes on some level are unavoidable but the severity of Vettel sandwiching Red Bull's Max Verstappen in Singapore can not be underestimated in terms of the title. No doubt Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas are more than able to hold their own on what is quite a quick track with two really good high speed straights, which is very suited to the powerful Merc engines. [Full Article...]
Lewis Hamilton expects Sebastian Vettel backlash in Malaysian Grand Prix
He has two wins on the year and four runner-up finishes. Nevertheless, our drivers made excellent progress in each session, with an upgrade package on Fernando's auto helping him to an impressive fifth-fastest time in FP2. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said at the time that declining ticket sales , viewership and tourism were behind the decision. Malaysia has hosted some epic tus... [Full Article...]
Formula 1 Racing Odds: Malaysian Grand Prix 9/29/17
World championship leader Lewis Hamilton was 2.5sec off the pace in sixth, behind Fernando Alonso , Kimi Raikkonen and championship rival Sebastian Vettel , who took advantage of a drying track to vault up the order in the closing stages. [Full Article...]
The puzzle confounding Mercedes in Malaysia
Hamilton did not bother to leave the shelter of the Mercedes garage until 30 minutes from the end of the session, and could only set the sixth fastest time , three seconds behind the leading Red Bull and eclipsed by both Ferraris. "I think we have a lot of races left, I think we have a strong vehicle". It certainly didn't help Lewis scored a lot of points but that's the way it goes. [Full Article...]
Malaysia wouldn't want to host F1, even for free - SIC
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the second session, Wolff called it a "very hard session and said the team "struggled from the get-go - in the wet, in the dry, on all tyres". They've probably been welded for a long time I expect and have got a bit tired. Now the hunter rather than the hunted in the championship race, Vettel doesn't feel under any less pressure to produce results, choosing to f... [Full Article...]
Ricciardo 2nd in wet Malaysian GP practice
Eric Boullier: "A very satisfying day, despite the curtailed running in both sessions. We'll see what tomorrow brings". "You can compare Malaysia to Silverstone probably, where we were very good, but there is a fundamental issue with the vehicle that we need to find out". [Full Article...]
Vettel: 'Ferrari must improve' in Sepang
Hamilton heads to Sepang 28 points clear of closest challenger Vettel after a hat-trick of wins moved him into pole position for a fourth world title. "I am not anxious, I am excited about making my debut in Sepang this weekend", he said. FIA race director Charlie Whiting visited the scene, and the session was not restarted as he ordered an inspection of all of the drain covers, which may ha... [Full Article...]
Lewis Hamilton shows support for National Football League protests
Back at the other end again, the likes of McLaren and Williams know that they will need all the supersofts they can get their hands on to even get through Q1. What's done is done. Max Verstappen was the first driver to turn his attention to a qualifying simulation, bolting on the super-softs and improving to second, 0.283s off Vettel's leading time on the soft. [Full Article...]
Sebastian Vettel fastest, drain cover crash halts session
Vettel lost ground in the championship duel after crashing out at the start in Singapore last time out. The champion will be the driver with the lowest score. "So we're looking very carefully at the set-up and the configuration of the auto just to try and understand what's gone wrong", he continued. When he did re-emerge with 40 minutes of the session remaining his vehicle appeared still to be... [Full Article...]
Hamilton and Bottas hoping for 1-2 finish at M'sian GP
Understandably, given that it has not won a driver's championship since Raikkonen's title in 2007, Ferrari was not impressed. When's the Malaysia GP on Sky Sports? "Having said that, as I try to answer, I'm pretty sure I can't say to you now what will be in my mind when I leave the grid - I never thought about the last race, and I'm pretty sure I will be focused on seeing what I can do fro... [Full Article...]
Lewis Hamilton 'identifies' with National Football League protesters
The only other South East Asian circuit that F1 will visit now is Singapore , but with Meritus.GP, the organisers, being of Malaysian ownership, it will seem unlikely that the series will follow F1 to the venue any time soon. "I know the ambitions of the team, but it is not like I am going into this weekend thinking that I will go out on the track helping Lewis". The race begins at 8am on Sunday... [Full Article...]
Mercedes cautious ahead of F1's farewell to Malaysia
Understandably, given that it has not won a driver's championship since Raikkonen's title in 2007, Ferrari was not impressed. The only other South East Asian circuit that F1 will visit now is Singapore, but with Meritus.GP, the organisers, being of Malaysian ownership, it will seem unlikely that the series will follow F1 to the venue any time soon. [Full Article...]
Mercedes suffering from fundamental gremlins in Malaysia
They have been such great supporters and had great success and we hope we can bring home victory this weekend", said the two-time world champion with Mercedes AMG Petronas in 2014 and 2015. "Well it just means that we have to get it fixed for tomorrow, of course". The balance didn't feel too bad, it's just a question of overall grip. "We tried several different configurations, and they proved al... [Full Article...]
F1 Malaysia GP: Sepang swansong and Hamilton's veganism
To make matters worse, Sebastian Vettel , who lies 28 points behind Hamilton in the race for the drivers' title, smashed the all-time Sepang lap record in his Ferrari, lapping more than 1.4 seconds quicker than the Mercedes. Only 46,944 spectators turned up for the race past year, a slight improvement on 2015 but well off the 88,450 who came to watch in 2013. Hamilton defiantly has momentum... [Full Article...]
Bottas still refusing to give up on 2017 F1 title hopes
Hamilton started last year's race in Malaysia on pole position and led before the engine expired. As a result, Hamilton now has a comfortable lead in the drivers championship . His victory less than 300 miles south in Singapore a fortnight ago could yet prove vital as Vettel retired following an opening-lap shunt. "We are going to feel it on Sunday afternoon, but that's I guess what we prep... [Full Article...]
Malaysia wouldn't want to host F1, even for free - SIC
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the second session, Wolff called it a "very hard session and said the team "struggled from the get-go - in the wet, in the dry, on all tyres". They've probably been welded for a long time I expect and have got a bit tired. Now the hunter rather than the hunted in the championship race, Vettel doesn't feel under any less pressure to produce results, choosing to f... [Full Article...]
Freak accident brings practice session to early end at Sepang
The German led by 25 points after the Monaco Grand Prix in May and by 14 following victory at July's Hungarian Grand Prix but now it is Hamilton in the ascendancy following a blistering run of form. The 21-year-old Frenchman told Formula1.com that he is looking forward to the race in Sepang and does not feel any pressure. Vettel posted the fastest lap in his Ferrari. [Full Article...]
Fernando Alonso says Lewis Hamilton now big F1 title favourite
Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene vowed to keep the pressure on Mercedes. "Having said that, I'm pretty sure I can't say to you now what will be in my mind when I leave the grid - I never thought about the last race and I'm pretty sure I will be focused on seeing what I can do from that start on Sunday". [Full Article...]
Lewis Hamilton criticises Donald Trump over national anthem protests
Mercedes was expected to dominate at Sepang given the fast-flowing nature of the circuit, only for Ferrari to upstage the Silver Arrows and finish over a second clear in FP2 on Friday. Vettel will look to strike back on a track where alongside Schumacher he has the best record of any driver , with four victories. "I think it depends on the points you have at the end of the year or not, so yeah... [Full Article...]