UP IN SMOKE
Hamilton fumes as engine explodes
LEWIS HAMILTON boiled over with rage after his engine caught fire during yesterday’s red-hot Malaysian Grand Prix.
Britain’s triple world champion all but pointed the finger of blame at his own Mercedes team in an emotional outburst after his engine exploded when he was cruising to victory 15 laps from home.
Instead Daniel Ricciardo and teenager Max Verstappen notched Red Bull’s first one-two since 2011.
Hamilton’s team-mate Nico Rosberg then poured further fuel on the flames by recovering from last to finish third and stretch his championship lead to 23 points with five races left.
Hamilton screamed, “No! No! No!” on his team radio when his engine blew while he chasing down the 50th F1 win of his career.
And he then raged: “Something or someone doesn’t want me to win this year.
“We are fighting for the championship and only my engines are failing. It does not sit right with me.
“My questions are to Mercedes. We have so many engines made but mine are the only ones failing this year.
“Someone needs to give me answers because this is not acceptable.” But after a meeting with Mercedes bosses Hamilton calmed down before adding: “Honestly, you have got to understand from my point of view. “On one side, we have had the most incredible success for these two years of which I am so grateful. “These guys work so hard and we are all feeling the pain right now. “But when you get out of the car, the feeling you have after leading the race and the car fails, it is pretty hard to say positive things all the time. “Mercedes have built 43 engines – with the extra three that I have had – and I have happened to have most, if not all, of the failures. “That is definitely a tough thing but I have confidence in these guys. I have been with them for four years, and I’ve 100 per cent faith. “I saw tears in the eyes of my mechanics.” Rosberg fought back from last following a first-corner collision with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel to take a place on the podium. McLaren’s Jenson Button finished ninth as he became only the third man after Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher to take part in 300 Grand Prix races. Fellow Brit Jolyon Palmer finally landed his first point for Renault in his rookie season, coming home 10th.