Malaysia – Race: Hamilton and Mercedes Dominate, Vettel and Alonso are There

The weather is holding steady, and conditions appear ideal for this Malaysian Grand Prix with only a 10% chance of rain. All drivers are on medium tires at the start, while Sergio Perez will start from the pits after experiencing an issue when lining up on the grid.

At the start, Rosberg overtakes Sebastian Vettel and the other Red Bull driver, Daniel Ricciardo, manages to get ahead of his teammate. A great start as well for Felipe Massa, who already gains 4 positions in the first lap. At the back of the pack, there’s a collision between Pastor Maldonado and Jules Bianchi, whose tire was punctured in a prior contact with Jean-Eric Vergne. The driver from Nice is nevertheless under investigation, while Kimi Räikkönen also suffers a puncture after a contact with Kevin Magnussen, the Finn is moving slowly. Vergne has to go through the pits.

In the 4th lap, Sebastian Vettel manages to get the better of Daniel Ricciardo while Felipe Massa attacks Kevin Magnussen, whose wing was damaged in contact with the Ferrari, for eighth place. At Force India, Sergio Perez permanently retires without having completed a single lap. Jules Bianchi at Marussia is penalized 5 seconds, applicable at the next stop. On the Williams side, Valtteri Bottas is asked not to be too aggressive with his teammate, while Pastor Maldonado is forced to retire.

In the 10th lap, Kevin Magnussen stops at the pits and changes his front wing damaged by the contact with Kimi Räikkönen at the beginning of the race. The McLaren driver is handed a 5-second penalty for this contact. The salvo of pit stops has begun, Daniil Kvyat and Fernando Alonso change tires. A beautiful battle between Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso ends in favor of the Australian while Sebastian Vettel follows in the pits, coming out just ahead of his teammate. The three drivers overtake Valtteri Bottas who has not yet changed tires.

On the sixteenth lap, the two Mercedes drivers stopped, leaving Nico Hülkenberg in the lead, but only for a short time, as the Force India driver stopped just the next lap. Lewis Hamilton continues to soar, approaching a 10-second lead over his teammate. Behind, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, and Fernando Alonso are within 4 seconds, but these three drivers have consumed more fuel than the Mercedes cars. Kimi Räikkönen, at the back of the pack following his puncture at the start of the race, returns to the pits and switches to hard tires, while Jean-Eric Vergne retires.

On the 22nd lap, we learn that Daniel Ricciardo’s flow meter is dead. This will likely spark a long debate with race management in the end. Regarding fuel consumption, the Australian’s RB10 is the most consuming in the top 10, while the Williams is clearly focusing on fuel efficiency. At McLaren, Kevin Magnussen makes his second pit stop, along with serving his 5-second penalty. Jenson Button follows on the next lap, as does Romain Grosjean.

At the 28th lap, Fernando Alonso makes a pit stop, followed by Felipe Massa. Daniel Ricciardo, with slightly high fuel consumption, opts for hard tires like the Spaniard, contrary to the Brazilian. A nice battle for the 13th place unfolds between Romain Grosjean and Kamui Kobayashi, ending in favor of the Frenchman. At Red Bull, a different strategy is seen between the two drivers; Sebastian Vettel chooses medium tires as the sky becomes threatening: rain could arrive as Nico Rosberg exits just in front of the reigning world champion. Lewis Hamilton also makes his stop and returns to the lead. Behind him, Nico Hülkenberg struggles with his tires while Nico Rosberg follows. But the biggest threat comes from Sebastian Vettel, who begins to catch up with the winner of the Australian Grand Prix. The Force India driver stops to switch to hard tires, attempting a 2-stop strategy.

On the 35th lap, a yellow flag is waved on the pit straight: Adrian Sutil has retired on the side. Esteban Gutierrez also retires in the pits, his car is smoking. A fierce battle begins between Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso, while Sebastian Vettel reports an issue to his engineer. The German eases off in his fight against Nico Rosberg, while Alonso speeds up. At Williams, they are in 7th and 8th positions with much less fuel used compared to the other top 10 members. Despite the risk of rain, both McLaren drivers stop for a final pit stop if conditions remain stable.

On the 41st lap, Daniel Ricciardo enters the pits but comes to a stop after a few meters. His front-left wheel is not tightened, and the mechanics are forced to bring him back to his pit stall to secure the wheel, which completely ruins his race and also puts him under investigation. Fernando Alonso returns to the pits to switch to medium tires, and another issue arises with Daniel Ricciardo’s RB10. His front wing touches the ground and caused a significant tear on the front right tire. The Australian enters the pits at a slow pace and leaves on hard tires and is penalized with a 10-second stop-and-go.

On the 47th lap, Jenson Button manages to fend off Felipe Massa for 6th place, while Kevin Magnussen is in 9th. At the top of the leaderboard, the podium remains unchanged: Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel. However, behind them, an impressive Nico Hülkenberg leads Fernando Alonso with one less stop than the Spaniard. A slight glimmer of hope for Lotus, with Romain Grosjean in 11th place. Sebastian Vettel makes his 3rd and final mandatory stop to fit hard tires, rejoining just ahead of Nico Hülkenberg. Nico Rosberg follows suit the next lap, while Daniel Ricciardo retires.

With five laps to go, the race leader also stops and returns to the front, while the battle between Nico Hülkenberg and Fernando Alonso rages on, turning to the advantage of the Spaniard. At Williams, Valtteri Bottas is given permission to attack Felipe Massa, while the Brazilian is asked to slow down. However, the former Ferrari driver does not seem inclined to comply. There’s a fierce fight between Romain Grosjean and Kimi Räikkönen for 11th place, while Daniil Kvyat clings to the 10th place point.

Lewis Hamilton therefore takes the win with a comfortable margin, having dominated this race thoroughly. He is followed by Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel. In fourth place, Fernando Alonso is ahead of Nico Hülkenberg, while a trio composed of Jenson Button, Felipe Massa, and Valtteri Bottas completes the top 8. The last points go to Kevin Magnussen and Daniil Kvyat.

2014 Malaysian Grand Prix Standings: