Malaysian Grand Prix Tag

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Honda has confirmed that Fernando Alonso’s power unit, which was under threat of being damaged from the opening lap crash in Singapore, has been cleared for use in the upcoming Malaysian Grand Prix. The incident came after Alonso made a blazing start, but was a victim of circumstances following the collision between Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen. Alonso continued on for a handful of laps later before being forced to retire. Amid concerns of a damaged power unit, Yusuke Hasegawa, executive chief engineer andRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Renault Sport F1 Team announced that Jolyon Palmer will return for the 2017 season. The 25-year-old Brit and 2014 GP2 Series champion has endured a tough rookie campaign, but managed to score his first championship point in round 16 at the Malaysian Grand Prix last month. Palmer joins recently announced Nico Hulkenberg at Renault, giving the Enstone-based team a veteran presence to go along with its progressing driver. After several weeks of debate, Palmer expressed jubilation upon his announced return. “I’m over the moon to beRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Sergio Perez has announced that he will remain at Force India for the 2017 Formula 1 season. The 26-year-old Mexican’s was the center of speculation on his eventual destination for next season, including Ferrari and Haas, but despite several delays with Force India he will return with the team. Bob Fernley, Force India’s deputy team principal, said on Friday that he was confident the details in the deal would be finalized with Perez. Perez’s return to the Silverstone-based squad means that he can continue to addRead More

Daniel Ricciardo led team-mate Max Verstappen to the flag to take Red Bull Racing’s first one-two finish since the Brazilian Grand Prix of 2013, as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was forced out by engine failure while comfortably in the lead. After a dramatic start in which front-row starter Nico Rosberg was pitched into a spin by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, Hamilton looked to have the race firmly under control. But on lap 41, disaster struck when the defending champion’s power unity failed. Ricciardo inherited the lead and 25 laps later the AustralianRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Sebastian Vettel’s day came to an early end at the first corner of the Malaysian Grand Prix after hitting and sending Formula 1 championship leader Nico Rosberg into a spin, destroying his own car in the process. The 29-year-old German had a blistering start from row three and climbed to the inside of Turn 1 with Max Verstappen on his right. The aggressive move was labeled “crazy” from the Red Bull Racing driver in a near repeat in reverse roles of the Belgian Grand Prix. “IRead More

Lewis Hamilton continued to set a blistering pace ahead of qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix, eclipsing Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen by almost half a second and beating championship leader Nico Rosberg by more than six tenths of a second. The first portion of the session was dominated by Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, with the Australian driver setting an early marker of 1:36.483 on medium tyres. However, until the half hour mark approached neither Mercedes driver had been out on track and when Hamilton and Rosberg eventually appeared, onRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Fernando Alonso will take a 15-place grid penalty after McLaren-Honda fitted new power unit components to his car ahead of final practice on Saturday. The 35-year-old Spaniard had already taken a 30-place penalty following a new power unit for Friday’s practice, in which Honda upgraded the engine block and the exhaust in an effort to reduce weight. Originally the plan was to revert to a previous engine for qualifying and the race, but now the team opted to the older engine with a new turbocharger andRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Sahara Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley believes that there is a strong likelihood that current driver Sergio Perez will remain with the team for the 2017 Formula 1 season. Perez has been the center of much speculation this season, originally linked as Kimi Raikkonen’s replacement earlier this year at Ferrari until the Italian-squad re-signed the Finn, and now linked to a possible seat at the Haas F1 Team. The 26-year-old Mexican has delayed his plans on several occasions and has recently stated that nextRead More

Formula One World Championship leader Nico Rosberg set the fastest time of opening practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix in a session that was red-flagged when Kevin Magnussen’s Renault caught fire in the pit lane. Magnussen had just two installation laps on the board when returned to the garage with a suspected fuel leak. As his car was wheeled back into the car he was suddenly told to jump out as flames burst from the airbox behind his head. The fire was quickly brought under control but fuel continued toRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Nico Hulkenberg is expecting the tire management situation to make a big impact amid the hot temperatures that will be endured for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix. Usually on the schedule at the early part of the Formula 1 season in April, the Sepang International Circuit had its date moved to September to accommodate a major renovation, but the combination of track and date changes add a new and unknown element to the mix for drivers and teams. “It feels strange to be going to SepangRead More