Drama unfolds as Hamilton takes pole; setback for Vettel
sepang — Three time World Champion, Lewis Hamilton secured pole position for the final edition of the Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International circuit.
The Briton posted a lap time of 1 minute 30.076 seconds, edging Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen by a narrow margin of 0.045 seconds. For the race on Sunday he is aided by a fortunate scenario, where his arch rival Sebastian Vettel will start the race at the back of the grid, after the German was eliminated in the first session of qualifying.
For the 32 year old driver from Stevenage in England, this is a fourth straight pole position start, since the Belgium GP.
Following the 2017 title leader, was Raikkonen who qualified second and Max Verstappen who placed himself third on the grid. For Raikkonen’s team-mate Vettel, drama started on the penultimate lap of the third session of Free Practice earlier in the day.
One of the engine cylinder on the German’s car malfunctioned, which called for a power unit change in the next two hours. Although the scarlet squad managed getting Vettel’s car ready,
I don’t really know where the pole lap came from, I surprised myself Lewis Hamilton
the German lost his drive on the first lap of Q1 and complained of ‘no turbo’ later. This led the team to call him back into the pit-lane, with no time left to send him out again. Vettel will start at the back of the grid in the race unless other drivers get penalties for changing parts.
Qualifying fourth on the grid was Daniel Ricciardo, completing the second row lockout for the MiltonKeynes squad. Following the Australian, was Mercedes driver Valterri Bottas who clocked the fifth fastest time, two-tenths slower than the Red Bull ahead of him.
In the Mercedes garage, after the two drivers struggled all weekend, the team managed to give Bottas car an updated aerodynamic package, while Hamilton’s remained the same. However, it is the fifth race out of the last six where the former has been edged out by the latter in qualifying, with a gap of 0.5 seconds or more.
Force India driver Esteban Ocon clocked the fifth fastest time edging out his team-mate by placing himself three places ahead of him. The 21 year old Frenchman was followed by McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne who secured seventh place on the grid.
Lone Renault driver in the top 10 Nico Hulkenberg attempted only one run in the final Q3 session of qualifying and managed placing himself eighth on the grid.
The German’s outgoing teammate Jolyon Palmer qualified for 12th place on the grid, after failing to make it into the final session of qualifying. For the Renault’s it has been a tough weekend where both cars struggled with grip and failed to get the right balance.
Force India’s Sergio Perez qualified ninth and was followed by McLaren’s Fernando Alonso who qualified tenth, to complete the top 10 on the grid. Vettel remained the only driver on the whole grid to be unable to set a time.
With rain showers forecast for tomorrow, while Vettel’s race starts from the back of the grid, his rival Hamilton’s race will have to be a cautious one at the front. Although the Mercedes have the advantage in qualifying where they can switch their engine to a superior power mode, they do not have an advantage when it comes to the race.
The nature of the Sepang circuit is such, that it suits a Ferrari and a Red Bull Racing car more than a Mercedes. Both the Ferrari and Red Bull have far superior chassis designs than a Mercedes.
Their cars encompass a highlevel rake setup, where the rear of the car is slightly more raised in alignment with the front, whereas the Mercedes chassis design has a low-level rake set-up.
This unique design allows the cars to be more agile in the long sweeping fast corners of the circuit, and with power-sensitive zones being limited here, an engine advantage does not make much of a difference. This is one of the reasons, the Mercedes were seen struggling in the Friday free practice sessions.
With three different team drivers in the top three, and each one being excellent with their start line performances, a repeat of Singapore is what Hamilton would possibly not want. When it comes to Verstappen he will be in a position to want to grab lead, as Red Bull Racing hasn’t had a win since Baku Grand Prix. With Vettel starting from the back of the grid, this could also be Raikkonen’s only chance to win a race, unless an incident filled race leads to the German making it back up the grid, and Ferrari initiating a swap for positions.
In the last 19 races host by this circuit, it has had similar record to Singapore of producing drama.
Often at this circuit weather conditions, starting lap mayhem, or a safety car scenario have added to the thrill and excitement of the race. Vettel starting from the back of the grid is dramatic enough, but maybe the twist is the German’s surge back to the front.
As it stands if Hamilton wins here, he will have a 53 point lead over Vettel, which means the title will wrap up earlier than expected. However, in tricky track conditions, if it rains the Red Bull Racing cars will be strong or one can see Raikkonen produce a power packed performance, as this is a track where he clinched the first win of his career in 2002 in a McLaren. Nevertheless going by the track and its history, the weather will play key in determining the result.