2016 Malaysian Grand Prix

Lore & Background

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 the team's 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.

In Their Own Story

The humidity was so thick it felt like breathing through a wet wool blanket when the lights went out. As the race wore on, the sky bruised purple before unleashing erratic sheets of rain at lap forty-three, scrambling the track order. In the Mercedes garage, the mood shifted from confident to frantic as telemetry flashed red; Lewis Hamilton, leading comfortably, heard his MGU-H scream a final warning before the engine seized into silence. Across the pit wall, Red Bull engineers held their breath until Ricciardo's RB12 surged past the stricken Mercedes, crossing the line to a roar that drowned out the fading hum of his rivals' engines.

Reader's Guide

At the start of the race, 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 his spin on lap 1. For the next race in Japan, Vettel was handed a three-place grid penalty for causing the collision with Rosberg.

Did You Know?

• 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
• Ricciardo said that the nine had not realized the effect their actions would have and called for them to be released.
• 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.