Verstappen wins final Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix

SEPANG, Malaysia – Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the final edition of the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, October 1 as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished second to extend his championship lead over Sebastian Vettel to 34 points.

Verstappen, 20, starting from second after Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari failed to make the grid, overtook pole-sitter Hamilton on lap four before clinching the second victory of his career and first this season.

Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo was third ahead of Vettel, who weaved through the field to finish fourth after starting from the back of the grid following engine problems.

The results mean Hamilton enjoys a big championship lead over Vettel with 5 races left in the season, starting next week in Japan.

Compounding Ferrari’s woes, Vettel’s car ended the day with only 3 wheels following an impact with Williams’ Lance Stroll after the finish line.

“That’s impossible,” Vettel thundered over the radio. “Stroll wasn’t looking where he was going!”

Sepang won’t be a ‘white elephant’

Prime Minister Najib Razak said Formula One could return to Malaysia and pledged the Sepang circuit will not become a “white elephant”.

Speaking before the final edition of the Malaysian Grand Prix, which began in 1999, Najib said the loss-making race could return if the “economic… conditions” were right.

“The economics viability of it is less and less attractive, so we decided to terminate it,” Najib told reporters.

“But it does not mean it cannot be reconsidered sometime in the future provided the economic set of conditions is deemed to be favourable,” he added.

Najib said there was a “sentimental kind of feeling” about the last edition of a race which helped raise Malaysia’s profile around the world. 

“But it is time to call it a day although we have benefited from hosting the F1. It has been a kind of diminishing returns for us,” he said.

Najib’s remarks come after the Sepang circuit’s CEO, Razlan Razali, told AFP it will be a minimum of 5 years before Malaysia even contemplates bringing back the race. – Rappler.com