Mercedes ended the Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix in style as the team’s drivers went for a 1-2 finish, with Lewis Hamilton coming in first a full 17 seconds before his teammate Nico Rosberg raced through the flag.
The 1-2 win was the first for Mercedes since the 1955 Italian GP, and making the team all the sweeter is that Hamilton and Rosberg snagged the top spots at the expense of reigning world campion Sebastia Vettel of Team Red Bull.
Last year, Hamilton embarrassed himself at the Sepang International Circuit when he drove into the pit-stop area of his former team McLaren.
This year, things were markedly different. Hamilton began the race in pole position, and only stretched out his lead even further throughout the race, despite several laps of drizzling rain. He coasted to a comfortable win, his first in Sepang.
World champ Vettel, however, had a tough time earning the third place on the podium, as he struggled to maintain a lead over his own Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo, slipping into fourth at the start of the race, and only managing to slip into third on the third lap.
Hamilton crossed the finish line in 1’40:25.974 to easily beat his German team-mate Nico Rosberg, the winner of the season-opener in Melbourne two weeks ago, by 17.313 seconds.
Photo: AFP
Story: The Star Online
