Shoey who can for Ricciardo and Red Bull

Following Saturday’s qualifications, the performance of the Austrian single-seaters awarded them the 3rd and 4th places on the grid. With the start circumstances eliminating Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel, the Red Bull teammates were given the perfect opportunity to complete the podium behind a dominant Hamilton at the beginning of the race in Sepang.

The virtual safety car ending, Max Verstappen gained the upper hand over Kimi Räikkönen at the restart. The maneuver might have seemed contentious, but in the image, the green flag is clearly shown, and the Dutchman anticipated the restart better than his opponent.

👀 LAP 5/56:

PER 📻: “Verstappen overtook Kimi before the VSC ended”#MalaysiaGP 🇲🇾 pic.twitter.com/R56RMKrqLS

— Formula 1 (@F1) 2 octobre 2016

Subsequently, Red Bull did not put all its eggs in one basket by opting for an alternate strategy for Verstappen, which paid off when, on the 28th lap, he exited the pits in 3rd position ahead of Räikkönen and Rosberg. At this stage, we had both Red Bulls chasing behind Hamilton’s Mercedes. “We pushed throughout the race. We attacked full-on all the time,” stated the Dutchman on the podium to Mark Webber’s microphone.

Shortly before Hamilton’s engine gave out, Ricciardo and Verstappen entered into an open battle for 2nd place, with the Australian managing to hold his position while Verstappen conceded. On the 41st lap, both dove into the pit lane to fit soft tires to reach the finish, and the second act began. But Ricciardo quickly managed to build a comfortable lead of a few seconds as Verstappen significantly degraded his tires trying to catch up. At the finish, the double victory was even sweeter, and both men were all smiles on the podium. “It’s quite emotional. It’s been two years since my last victory. A big thank you to everyone who supported me, it’s huge!” the Australian rejoiced from the top step of the podium.

That is the Team’s first 1-2 finish since the Brazil Grand Prix in 2013! 🙌 #MalaysiaGP 🇲🇾 #F1 🏆 pic.twitter.com/2H1qdbisFE

— Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) 2 octobre 2016

Thanks to this performance, Red Bull leaves with a considerable lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship and Christian Horner can be pleased with it. “43 points here is a big score against Ferrari. It’s a superb performance by the whole team.” With now a 46-point lead in the championship over the Scuderia, Red Bull can breathe a little easier before heading to Japan next weekend.

As expected, Ricciardo didn’t miss the opportunity to do the famous shoey – the Australian tradition of drinking from his shoe – and he even invited everyone on the podium to join in. One by one, Christian Horner (Red Bull team principal), Max Verstappen, and even Nico Rosberg celebrated the Australian tradition, the latter grimacing after tasting the “cocktail”. A good atmosphere prevailed on the Malaysian podium!

Possibly the hottest & sweatiest shoe of the season…

Brave men 😬 #MalaysiaGP 🇲🇾 #F1 pic.twitter.com/zB0msuzQSe

— Formula 1 (@F1) 2 octobre 2016

The euphoria of the podium having subsided, Daniel Ricciardo gave a post-race interview during which, full of emotions, he dedicated his victory to the memory of Jules Bianchi. “You know, it’s been two years since my last win, and it felt terribly long. I think back to what happened two years ago; it was a real turning point in my life with the loss of Jules. He was a friend, and it was hard to move forward. I absolutely wanted to win another race to dedicate to him, something I could only do today. I think it’s something that changes a person, for the better. You know today I won another Formula 1 race, and it’s a dream that has come true. This one is definitely for him, and I also want to thank the team, Red Bull, and my family for the support they’ve given me.”