2016 Malaysian Grand Prix

The 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix (formally known as the 2016 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix)[1] was a Formula One motor race that was held on 2 October 2016 at the Sepang International Circuit in Selangor, Malaysia. The race marked the thirty-fifth running of the Malaysian Grand Prix, and the eighteenth time that the race has been run as a World Championship event since the first race in 1999.

2016 Malaysian Grand Prix
Race 16 of 21 in the 2016 Formula One World Championship
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Race details[1]
Date 2 October 2016 (2016-10-02)
Official name 2016 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix
Location Sepang International Circuit, Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 5.543 km (3.444 miles)
Distance 56 laps, 310.408 km (192.879 miles)
Weather Sunny
33 °C (91 °F) air temperature
49 °C (120 °F) track temperature
2.8 m/s (9.2 ft/s) wind from the west[2]
Attendance 88,828 (Weekend) 45,000 (Race Day)[3]
Pole position
Driver Mercedes
Time 1:32.850
Fastest lap
Driver Germany Nico Rosberg Mercedes
Time 1:36.424 on lap 44
Podium
First Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer
Second Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer
Third Mercedes
Lap leaders

Daniel Ricciardo won the race, with teammate Max Verstappen finishing second to secure Red Bull Racing's first 1–2 finish since the introduction of hybrid engines in 2014 and their last one until the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Rosberg completed the podium, extending his championship lead to twenty-three points following the retirement of Lewis Hamilton. This was Ricciardo's first win since the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix.

Report

Background

The race was moved from its March date to October to allow organisers the opportunity to upgrade the circuit. The circuit was resurfaced, while drainage was improved to decrease the possibility of standing water from forming on the circuit. Nine corners were re-profiled, introducing negative camber to emphasise mechanical, rather than aerodynamic grip, and the drop at the apex of turn two removed.[4]

Championship standings before the race

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg entered the race leading the World Drivers' Championship by eight points, having reclaimed the championship lead from teammate Lewis Hamilton at the previous race in Singapore. Mercedes lead Red Bull-TAG Heuer in the World Constructors' Championship by 220 points.

Race

The incident between Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel on the opening lap
Lewis Hamilton's engine failure while in the lead later proved to be a decisive moment in the championship.

At the start, Sebastian Vettel collided with Nico Rosberg going into turn one, causing Rosberg to go into a spin to the back of the grid while Vettel damaged his front-left suspension in the process, retiring after getting to an escape road a few corners later. On lap 8, Romain Grosjean spun into the gravel trap due to brake failure once again, prematurely ending his race. Later on lap 41, Lewis Hamilton's engine failed while he was in the lead of the race, forcing him to retire. Esteban Gutiérrez also retired when his front-left wheel came off the car in the latter stages of the race. Daniel Ricciardo who inherited the lead of the race when Hamilton's engine failed went on to win the race. It was the fourth win of his F1 career. Max Verstappen finished second, giving Red Bull Racing their first one-two since Brazil in 2013, with Nico Rosberg recovering to finish third from the spin on lap 1. For the next race in Japan, Vettel was handed a three-place grid penalty for causing the collision with Rosberg.

Post-race

Nine Australian men, subsequently dubbed the 'Budgie Nine' by Australian media, were arrested for intentional insult and public indecency after celebrating Ricciardo's win by stripping to their 'budgie smuggler' swimming trunks, decorated with the Malaysian flag, and drinking beer from their shoes.[5] Ricciardo said that the nine had not realized the effect their actions would have,[6] and called for them to be released.[7] After three days in custody the nine were charged with the lesser offence of public nuisance and released. The briefs had been made in Australia, not Malaysia.[8]

Classification

Qualifying

Pos. Car
no.
Driver Constructor Qualifying times Final
grid
Q1 Q2 Q3
1 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:34.444 1:33.046 1:32.850 1
2 6 Germany Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:34.460 1:33.609 1:33.264 2
3 33 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer 1:35.443 1:33.775 1:33.420 3
4 3 Australia Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer 1:35.079 1:33.888 1:33.467 4
5 5 Germany Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:34.557 1:33.972 1:33.584 5
6 7 Finland Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:34.556 1:33.903 1:33.632 6
7 11 Mexico Sergio Pérez Force India-Mercedes 1:35.068 1:34.538 1:34.319 7
8 27 Germany Nico Hülkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1:34.827 1:34.441 1:34.489 8
9 22 United Kingdom Jenson Button McLaren-Honda 1:35.267 1:34.431 1:34.518 9
10 19 Brazil Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 1:35.267 1:34.422 1:34.671 10
11 77 Finland Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1:35.166 1:34.577 11
12 8 France Romain Grosjean Haas-Ferrari 1:35.400 1:35.001 12
13 21 Mexico Esteban Gutiérrez Haas-Ferrari 1:35.658 1:35.097 13
14 20 Denmark  Kevin Magnussen Renault 1:35.593 1:35.277 14
15 26 Russia Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:35.695 1:35.369 15
16 55 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:35.605 1:35.374 16
17 9 Sweden Marcus Ericsson Sauber-Ferrari 1:35.816 17
18 12 Brazil Felipe Nasr Sauber-Ferrari 1:35.949 18
19 30 United Kingdom Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:35.999 19
20 31 France Esteban Ocon MRT-Mercedes 1:36.451 20
21 94 Germany Pascal Wehrlein MRT-Mercedes 1:36.587 21
22 14 Spain Fernando Alonso McLaren-Honda 1:37.155 221
107% time: 1:41.055
Source:[9]

Notes:

  • ^1 Fernando Alonso penalised 45 grid places for unscheduled power unit element changes.[9]

Race

Daniel Ricciardo won the race for Red Bull.
Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 3 Australia Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer 56 1:37:12.776 4 25
2 33 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer 56 +2.443 3 18
3 6 Germany Nico Rosberg Mercedes 56 +25.5161 2 15
4 7 Finland Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 56 +28.785 6 12
5 77 Finland Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 56 +1:01.582 11 10
6 11 Mexico Sergio Pérez Force India-Mercedes 56 +1:03.794 7 8
7 14 Spain Fernando Alonso McLaren-Honda 56 +1:05.205 22 6
8 27 Germany Nico Hülkenberg Force India-Mercedes 56 +1:14.062 8 4
9 22 United Kingdom Jenson Button McLaren-Honda 56 +1:21.816 9 2
10 30 United Kingdom Jolyon Palmer Renault 56 +1:35.466 19 1
11 55 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 56 +1:38.878 16
12 9 Sweden Marcus Ericsson Sauber-Ferrari 55 +1 Lap 17
13 19 Brazil Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 55 +1 Lap 10
14 26 Russia Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso-Ferrari 55 +1 Lap 15
15 94 Germany Pascal Wehrlein MRT-Mercedes 55 +1 Lap 21
16 31 France Esteban Ocon MRT-Mercedes 55 +1 Lap2 20
Ret 12 Brazil Felipe Nasr Sauber-Ferrari 46 Brakes/Power loss 18
Ret 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 40 Engine 1
Ret 21 Mexico Esteban Gutiérrez Haas-Ferrari 39 Wheel 13
Ret 20 Denmark  Kevin Magnussen Renault 17 Power loss 14
Ret 8 France Romain Grosjean Haas-Ferrari 7 Brakes 12
Ret 5 Germany Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 0 Collision 5
Source:[10]
Notes
  • ^1 Nico Rosberg had ten seconds added to his race time for causing an avoidable collision.[10]
  • ^2 Esteban Ocon received two five-second penalties for speeding in the pit lane.[10]

Championship standings after the race

  • Bold text and an asterisk indicates who still had a theoretical chance of becoming World Champion.
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

See also

References

  1. "Malaysia". Formula1.com. Formula One World Championship Limited. 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  2. "GP Malaysia in Sepang / Rennen". motorsport-total.com (in German). Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  3. NDTVSports.com. "Malaysia to Pull Out of Formula 1 After 2018 – NDTV Sports". ndtv.com. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  4. "Malaysian F1 circuit upgrades nine corners". Speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  5. "Stripping at Malaysian Grand Prix: Nine Australians arrested". BBC News online. 3 October 2016.
  6. "Daniel Ricciardo said Budgie Nine antics are 'harmless' but urges Aussies to be careful". Herald Sun. 6 October 2016.
  7. "'Budgie Nine': F1 driver Ricciardo defends Malaysian GP strippers". BBC News online. 6 October 2016.
  8. "Australian 'Budgie Nine' F1 strippers freed by Malaysia court". BBC News online. 6 October 2016.
  9. "2016 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix – Qualifying". Formula1.com. Formula One World Championship Limited. 1 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  10. "2016 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix – Race Result". Formula1.com. Formula One World Championship Limited. 2 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  11. "Malaysia 2016 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
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