Malaysian Grand Prix Tag

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Motorsports Tribune reviews the top 10 Formula 1 drivers of 2017. Our list continues with sixth place finisher Max Verstappen. Max Verstappen, No. 33 Red Bull Racing 2017: 6th in the championship, 168 points Wins: 2, Podiums: 4, Top 5: 12, Top 10: 13, Poles: 0, Laps Led: 133 , Fastest Laps: 1,  Best Finish: 1st – Two times (Malaysia, Mexico) Max Verstappen endured one of the tougher outings in 2017, as strong outings were also countered by gut-wrenching reliability woes. The 20-year-old Dutchman was solidRead More

Listen to “Drafting The Circuits October 5, 2017” on Spreaker. Frank Santoroski and the Drafting the Circuits panel – Joey Barnes, Gray Warren, Richard Youden, Christopher DeHarde and Seth Eggert, with special guest Aaron Bearden – weigh in on the first elimination round of the NASCAR playoffs, and has an in-depth conversation about the Malaysian Grand Prix and other stories within Formula One. Credits: Host – Frank Santoroski DTC Panel – Joey Barnes, Seth Eggert, Christopher DeHarde, Gray Warren, Richard Youden & Aaron Bearden Producers – Anthony Arnold & Keith Hayes Special thanks to Whoobazoo forRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Sebastian Vettel must be thanking his lucky stars. After going out on the opening lap in Singapore, and starting from the back in Malaysia, he won’t have a gearbox change penalty for Japan. His bizarre cool down lap collision with Williams’ Lance Stroll tore the left rear wheel from his SF70H and the subsequent chassis damage indicated that the gearbox could be damaged as well. Ferrari flew the gearbox back to its headquarters in Maranello in order to give it a detailed examination. Today it gaveRead More

The final Malaysian Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen celebrate his birthday in style by claiming a superb win at the Sepang International Circuit. After overtaking championship leader Lewis Hamilton in the opening laps to take the lead, Verstappen who turned 20 yesterday, delivered a faultless drive to march unchallenged to the chequered flag ahead of the Mercedes driver and Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. Hamilton’s second place now gives him a 34-point Drivers’ Championship lead over Sebastian Vettel after the Ferrari driver fought his way from last on the grid to fourthRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief A tough time for Ferrari has become even more so after Kimi Raikkonen failed to make the grid for the start of the Malaysian Grand Prix, and was ultimately forced to retire before turning a lap. The 37-year-old Finn was expected to start from the second position, but cited a loss of power during the warmup 30 minutes prior to the race. The issue only magnifies problems that also hit teammate Sebastian Vettel on Saturday prior to qualifying, which led to starting the race from last.Read More

Lewis Hamilton claimed his fifth career Malaysian Grand Prix pole position, equalling Michael Schumacher’s Sepang record, as the qualifying hopes of title Sebastian Vettel wrecked by a mechanical issue that saw him dumped out of the session at the end of Q1. Kimi Räkkönen was left to uphold Ferrari honour and the Finn almost claimed his second pole of the year as he got to within five hundredths of a second of Hamilton’s pole time. Third place on the grid will be taken by Max Verstappen with team-mate Daniel RicciardoRead More

Ferrari continued to set the pace in Sepang, with Kimi Räikkönen edging team-mate Sebastian Vettel by 0.162, to claim top spot in final practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix. Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo was third, just five hundredths of a second behind Vettel. Räikkönen’s table-topping time of 1:31.880 came late in the session after Vettel had slotted into P1 ahead of Ricciardo. It was another inconclusive day for Mercedes, however, with Valtteri Bottas finishing fourth, almost half a second adrift of Räikkönen and Lewis Hamilton ending the session inRead More

Sebastian Vettel led a Ferrari one-two in second practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix, six tenths clear of team-mate Kimi Räikkönen, as the session was ended early by a heavy crash involving Haas’ Romain Grosjean. Vettel’s performance run on the Pirelli supersoft compound tyres netted a best time of 1:31.261. Team-mate Kimi Räikkönen was second, 0.604 seconds adrift, while Daniel Ricciardo was third for Red Bull Racing, just over two tenths further back. It was a trickier session for championship leader Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas. BothRead More

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen set the quickest lap of a weather-disrupted opening practice session in Malaysia, as heavy rain led to a delayed start and a shortened outing for F1:s teams at the Sepang Circuit. Verstappen posted a time 1:48.962s on intermediate tyres late in the session to finish 0.757 seconds clear of teammate Daniel Ricciardo, with third place going to Fernando Alonso, though the McLaren driver was a further second behind. The session was due to start at 11am local time but intermittent showers in the morning gaveRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Just two weeks removed from crashing out in Singapore, Sebastian Vettel insisted he is only focused on this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The Scuderia Ferrari driver looked primed for a solid points haul after starting on pole for the Singapore Grand Prix, but was part of an opening lap melee at the start-line with teammate Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen. That incident was magnified after championship leader Lewis Hamilton went on to win the race, leaving the 30-year-old German 28 points behind withRead More