2017 F1 Round 15 Malaysian GP – Verstappen wins as Räikkönen fails to start

The 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix ran for 56 laps at Sepang. Max Verstappen won the day after his 20th birthday, completing the race in 1:30:01.290, 12.770 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Daniel Ricciardo finished third. It was the final Formula 1 Grand Prix held at Sepang.

Verstappen held second at the start, resisting an attack from Valtteri Bottas, before passing polesitter Hamilton on lap four. He continued to extend his advantage after taking the lead. Hamilton could not mount an effective response, and Red Bull took control of the race.

Reliability problems again disrupted Ferrari’s weekend. Kimi Räikkönen, who had qualified on the front row, lost power on the way to the grid. His car was pushed back to the pits, and he ultimately failed to start. Sebastian Vettel started from the back, choosing soft tyres to extend his opening stint before switching to supersofts and beginning his pursuit.

After recovering to fourth, Vettel attacked Ricciardo for third. He tried to take the inside at Turn 1 on lap 49, but Ricciardo held his position. Tyre degradation and concerns over power then slowed Ferrari’s pursuit, and Vettel remained fourth at the finish.

Vettel collided with Lance Stroll on the slowing-down lap after the race. The Ferrari’s left-rear wheel was badly damaged, and the car stopped beside the track. Vettel then took a lift back to the pits on Pascal Wehrlein’s Sauber. The incident happened after the chequered flag and did not change Vettel’s fourth-place result.

Bottas was fifth, an unwell Sergio Pérez finished sixth, and Stoffel Vandoorne took seventh. Stroll and Felipe Massa were eighth and ninth, securing a double points finish for Williams. Esteban Ocon suffered a puncture after contact at the start and pitted early, but still completed a long stint on soft tyres to finish tenth.

Carlos Sainz retired with a power problem while fighting for points, while Räikkönen was recorded as a non-starter. The other 18 drivers finished the race. Pierre Gasly placed 14th on his Formula 1 Grand Prix debut, with Fernando Alonso 11th. Vandoorne was McLaren’s only points scorer.

Hamilton’s 18 points for second increased his lead over Vettel to 34 points, with five rounds remaining. Red Bull took first and third, while Ferrari’s 12 points from Vettel’s recovery could not make up for Räikkönen’s failure to start.