The Malaysian Grand Prix has always been a happy hunting ground for Lewis Hamilton who has never finished outside the top eight drivers. On Friday, the defending champion set the fastest time in second practice, overcoming a session that was blighted by technical difficulties.
The Mercedes driver missed the first session with engine problems and was also absent from the start of the second, but class will out and Hamilton managed to overcome the setbacks to lap the 5.543km track in a time of 1:39.790, 0.373s faster than Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.
Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg was third fastest and Daniil Kvyat managed to finally put a smile on the faces of the Red Bull team as he posted the fourth fastest time of the day, 1:40.346.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
McLaren suffered a miserable session, however, with Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button way down in 16th and 17th. Alonso is taking part in his first Grand Prix of the season after missing the Australian race because of concussion suffered in a testing crash last month.
According to Sky Sports, Hamilton was kept off the track in the morning by a problem "affecting the inlet system on his W06's power unit". When it was eventually rectified the defending world champion took to the track but he was soon reporting gearbox difficulties on what was a trying day for the Mercedes mechanics.
"It was an amazing job by the guys to get the engine and gearbox back on and get me back out," Hamilton told Sky Sports. "It affects you quite a bit. Fortunately I got a few laps of a longer run at the end, but in terms of set-up I've not made any changes so I've driven what I have and it's quite a bit off of where we need it."
Mercedes wasn't the only team to endure an uncomfortable afternoon as track temperatures approached 60 degrees Celsius. Ferrari's Sebastien Vettel and Roberto Merhi of Manor Marussia both spun into the gravel, while Lotus drivers Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean were affected by loose rear bodywork and engine trouble respectively.
Prior to the practice, Hamilton became the first driver to fall foul of the FIA's controversial helmet ban that was introduced in February. The rule forbids drivers from changing helmet designs during the season so as to make it easier for fans to identity them. On Friday Mercedes tweeted a photo of a new green and blue helmet, but less than an hour later Hamilton [3] tweeted a photo of the same helmet with the accompanying message:
"I had a special helmet made to celebrate Petronas & Malaysia. Due to the FIA's new rule, I can't wear it."
-
September 7 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include stressing about Powerball, and a busy FBI schedule
-
Nvidia: unstoppable force, or powering down?Talking Point Sales of firm's AI-powering chips have surged above market expectations –but China is the elephant in the room
-
5 hard-working cartoons about Labor Day celebrationsCartoons Artists take on creation of AI, spelling mistakes, and more
-
Lewis Hamilton on his F1 future: ‘I have plenty of fuel in the tank’Under the Radar Seven-time world champion finished second on his 300th grand prix start
-
F1: a bumpy start to the season for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and George RussellUnder the Radar Only four races in and Mercedes already look off the pace
-
F1 Bahrain GP reactions: Ferrari ‘back with a bang’ as Leclerc ‘tames the beast’feature The Tifosi celebrate a stunning one-two for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz
-
Mason Greenwood: footballer arrested on suspicion of rape and assaultSpeed Read Man Utd confirm the striker will not train or play until further notice
-
Lewis Hamilton’s future: could he retire from F1?In the Spotlight It remains ‘unclear’ if the seven-time world champion will be on the grid in 2022
-
Verstappen or Hamilton: the 2021 F1 title permutations explainedfeature Rivals are level on points going into Sunday’s final race in Abu Dhabi
-
F1: Lewis Hamilton’s astonishing victory in Brazilfeature British driver’s win at Interlagos is surely up there with the finest of his career
-
Handball: swapping bikini bottoms for tight pantsSpeed Read Women competitors will be required to ‘wear short tight pants with a close fit’
