RESULTS (TOP 10)
A REAR WHEEL WAS NOT FITTED PROPERLY AND, IN HIS HASTE TO GET BACK INTO THE RACE, RAIKKONEN’S CAR HIT A TEAM MECHANIC. HE WAS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT.
(3.3-mile) desert circuit, but the left rear tyre was not secured properly. Raikkonen was given the green light to go but it was an unsafe release and, as he pulled away, he hit one of the mechanics.
Raikkonen’s car came to a halt a few metres later and he took off the steering wheel and dejectedly threw it into the cockpit. As he walked back through the team garage, the Finnish driver swiped away a water bottle in frustration.
Ferrari said they were “thinking about our man, waiting to know more after the treatment.”
It was a poor error from Ferrari, which was fined 5,000 euros ($6,140) for an unsafe pit release during practice on Friday.
As the sun set, tension rose on the grid as drivers prepared for their showdown under floodlights. Vettel started on the front row with Raikkonen, and Bottas started third. Hamilton was ninth on the grid after incurring a five-place grid penalty for an unauthorized gearbox change.
A frantic start saw Vettel hold the lead but Raikkonen got passed in the first corner by Bottas.
Red Bull’s nightmare scenario made things easier for Hamilton, who no longer had two of the best drivers on the grid to contend with. But it was immensely frustrating for Verstappen. The Dutch driver had done brilliantly to jump from 15th on the grid, and fought with Hamilton on the inside heading into turn one. But he sustained too much damage after puncturing his left rear tire.
Moments later, there were heads on hands in the Red Bull garage as Ricciardo’s race was ended. He pulled over on the side of the track because of an electrical failure, prompting the safety car to come out. With the VSC on track, Verstappen managed to crawl back into the pits. He resumed the race but abandoned shortly after. 1. Sebastian Vettel
(Ferrari) 1:32:01.940 2. Valtteri Bottas
(Mercedes)
(Mercedes) (Scuderia) (Haas Ferrari) (Renault) (Mclaren-renault) (Mclaren-renault) (Sauber-ferrari) (Force India)