Malaysia – Free Practice 1: Rosberg masters his subject, Renault catches fire
The weather was fine and very hot in Sepang for this first session. Mercedes dominated, with Nico Rosberg more at ease, while the Ferrari seemed to be in better form than the Red Bull in Malaysia. Kevin Magnussen's Renault caught fire in the pit lane, forcing a red flag and amputation of the first third of the session.
After an otherwise standard start to the session, Magnussen’s Renault caught fire in the pit lane.
Drama early on in the pit lane as MAG leaps from flames engulfing his car
He has escaped unhurt #FP1 #MalaysiaGP 🇲🇾 pic.twitter.com/aWKtt9HWZM
— Formula 1 (@F1) 30 septembre 2016
Mechanics and engineers brandished the fire extinguishers and Kevin Magnussen urgently exited his car. The fire was only brought under control after several minutes, with a liquid continuously gushing from the engine cover of the Renault and the fire outbreaks multiplying. The red flag was not signaled until after several long minutes, as the pit lane became impassable. The session was interrupted but the clock kept running.
RED FLAG: And the session has been halted while @RenaultSportF1 control the flames #FP1 #MalaysiaGP 🇲🇾 pic.twitter.com/SQnLT083GT
— Formula 1 (@F1) 30 septembre 2016
The first third of the session having been cut short, the drivers jostled at the red light to get back on the track. The somewhat unusual scene on a circuit is more reminiscent of an urban intersection at rush hour.
GREEN LIGHT 🚥
The session is back under way after a lengthy delay following Magnussen’s fire#FP1 #MalaysiaGP 🇲🇾 pic.twitter.com/CyiLTpYiQL
— Formula 1 (@F1) 30 septembre 2016
We arrived at mid-session, and all the drivers had joined the track to record at least one time and even improve it, with the exception, of course, of Magnussen. The Mercedes quickly took charge with a reference best time for Rosberg at 1’35″227, relegating Hamilton to 5 tenths at 1’35″798. Behind them, the Ferraris were positioning themselves as the second force for the moment while Red Bull was closely following, but Verstappen in 5th was still 6 tenths behind Vettel in 4th. Then followed Sergio Pérez at 2″374 from Nico Rosberg’s time, closely followed by Jenson Button and Nico Hülkenberg, while Daniil Kvyat completed the top 10.
Beyond the top 10, Spain was in the spotlight with Alonso and Sainz, Grosjean held 12th position ahead of the Williams, which seemed to be struggling at the start of the weekend. The other Haas driver, Esteban Gutierrez, followed closely, trailed by the Sauber and the surviving Renault of Palmer, while the Manor cars brought up the rear with Esteban Ocon ahead of Pascal Wehrlein.
The drivers were stringing together laps and notably, the trajectory in the hairpin of turn 15 seemed unprecedented. Let’s recall that the inclination has been modified with an inside one meter higher than the outside, which forces the drivers to take a much wider trajectory, avoiding the apex to prevent a loss of grip when exiting the corner. Similarly, as the session progressed, a clearer trajectory was forming on the asphalt, as is traditionally seen in wet conditions with a drying line. Here, the phenomenon is similar because it’s the rising oil from the new asphalt that evaporates after repeated passes by the cars heating up the track.
The session coming to an end, it’s time to propose a final summary of this very early morning first test session. The second half of the session did not see many changes in the standings. Rosberg remained the fastest on soft tires while Hamilton, five-tenths behind, was on medium tires. Ferrari remained the second force of this early weekend, and the surprise came from McLaren with Fernando Alonso positioning himself between the Ferraris and Red Bulls; the engine upgrade provided by Honda on the Spaniard’s MP4-31 seems to be paying off. In 8th and 9th positions, we find the Force India cars of Hülkenberg and Pérez, with Jenson Button rounding out the top 10.
On the French side, Romain Grosjean seemed to have struggled with the behavior of his car but remained a few hundredths ahead of Gutierrez. Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon was six-tenths ahead of Pascal Wehrlein. Renault dominated the first part of the session at its own expense, as the French team experienced a fire on the car of its Danish driver Kevin Magnussen in the pit lane. The cause of this accident is not yet known.
PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION: END OF #FP1
ROS top of the pile as both McLarens make the top ten at Sepang#MalaysiaGP 🇲🇾 pic.twitter.com/GMRSmugW9f
— Formula 1 (@F1) 30 septembre 2016
