Monday, 2 October 2017

MALAYSIAN GRAND - AND THE WINNER IS - VERSTAPPEN THE INTREPID! THE END!





Job done, and there was nothing Hamilton was able to do about, other than to resign himself to keeping his P.2 position, as he trailed behind MV. 

With about 10 seconds separating them, as Verstappen he greeted the Checkered Flag at the end of the 56 lap race. 

Hamilton would be followed in by the effervescent Daniel Ricciardo, who had himself been testing the determination and verve of the pursuing Sebastian Vettel.  

Who had made up 13 places, having started at the back of the pack, but had found Ricciardo to be too elusive to be overtaken. 



As if his failure to qualify on Saturday was not bad enough, the end of the race for Vettel was also mysterious. Fortunately for him, the mystery did not revealed itself until after he had placed himself at P.4, securing himself 12 valuable points. 

And what was the mystery? Well, he and Lance Strool found themselves in the most unlike of after race collisions. Which resulted in Vettel's car, most acrobatically, having its left back wheel and tire erupted onto the back of the car, as if it was a spare tire.

Bottas, although having made good progress, initially, was, like Hamilton, not able to bet the car to perform, and had to settle for a P.5 finish.



And what does all of this tell us? Probably this. That a Formula 1 driver can only benefit from 'luck', if he has a competitive car which is able to capitalise on the opportunities which such luck presents to them. 

When a driver has a defective and/or under-performing car, he can only benefit from 'miracles', of the kind which might see a racing car racing without having an engine. Something which might never happen.  

And, as far as competitiveness goes during the Malaysian Qualifying and the Race, Hamilton and Bottas' cars were comparatively engineless.

A very Big Congratulation to Max Verstappen, for having apparently extirpated his series of bad luck with winning the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix!




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